


Prettiest (Taken) Girl in Town

by Dark_and_night



Category: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Oral Sex, Outdoor Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-21
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:55:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 31,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23238823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dark_and_night/pseuds/Dark_and_night
Summary: You are the girl everyone wants, and Thomas is, well, himself.
Relationships: Leatherface | Thomas Brown Hewitt/You, Thomas Brown Hewitt/reader
Comments: 71
Kudos: 608





	1. Chapter 1

“Hey Thomas.” You smiled as he walked by.

He nodded at you, continuing to walk on his way home from work. You smiled, following him. Thomas glanced at you, raising an eyebrow when he saw you were following.

“I just thought you might like some company.” You said. “I just finished this dress, so I figured I’d parade it around town.” You twirled, proudly showing off all your hard work. “Do you like it?”

Thomas watched you twirl, an ache in his chest as he noticed your wedding ring twinkle in the sun. He didn’t know why you were always so nice to him, but a part of him wished that you wouldn’t be. It hurt too much. You were taken, you were beautiful, and you were kind.

Then again, sometimes he figured you were beautiful enough that you could afford to be kind. He’d never had such a luxury.

“Well?” You asked, interrupting his thoughts.

He nodded slowly, continuing to walk home. He realized with some annoyance that you were still following him, even though town was the other way.

You continued walking with him, humming softly to yourself as you did so. You practically danced around him, his plodding, tired footsteps the complete opposite of your carefree skipping.

“Can I talk to you about something, kind of personal?” You moved in front of him, forcing him to stop. 

He sighed. As if you would let him say no to you. 

For the fist time since Thomas met you, you seemed nervous. You glanced away, a hint of doubt on your perfect features. He enjoyed the sight of that, seeing as you were keeping him from going home and unwinding. You glanced back at him, and then away again before you finally spoke.

“Would you-. I mean-. Do you think I’m…sexy?” You asked.

Thomas was so shocked by your question that he physically had to take a step away from you. His heart sped up as he looked around, sure this was a trap, sure that someone was watching from somewhere, waiting for him to do the wrong thing so people would finally have the excuse to run him out of town. He strained his ears, but there was no one on the road except for the two of you.

Your face turned red as you fiddled with your skirt, waiting for a response. “I’m sorry. I’m just asking because…” You swallowed, looking down at your feet. “Well, more and more, Danny hasn’t been able to… you know…preform?”

Thomas felt his heart sink as you divulged your husband’s impotence to him. Oh man, he was fucked if this was some sort of ploy.

“And I just, it feels like it’s my fault. Like I’m not enough.” Your face turned more red, impossibly. “So, I wanted an outsider’s opinion, if, w-would I be enough for you?”

Thomas couldn’t even look at you. He glared down a nearby tree, refusing to look at you as you spilled your embarrassing secrets to him. Enough for him? Enough for him? Even if this wasn’t some attempt to bully Thomas, that question was just plain cruel. As if he had a chance to begin with, so why bother himself with the question?

“Sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.” You stepped aside, no longer blocking Thomas. “It just makes me feel bad.”

Oh, now he could see what this was. Thomas finally looked at you, frowning. At your new dress and your soft hair and skin he didn’t even dare to hope he could run his rough fingers across one day. He could see it now. Your husband wasn’t making you feel pretty enough, so you had come to the ugliest guy in town for an ego boost.

Anger seeped into Thomas at the realization. What the hell did you expect him to do, anyway? Get down on his knees and bow to you to prove that yes, a man like him could only pray to get the chance to have you?

Well, why not? Why not give you exactly that if you wanted to feel good so badly?

You sighed, shaking your head. “I’m sorry, this was stupid, I’m just-.”

You were caught off guard when the large man got down on his knees.

“Th-Thomas?” You squeaked when he lifted up your skirt. “Thomas!”

He pushed you against a tree next to the path, pulling off his mask, safely hidden under the fabric of your skirt. You shifted nervously, stuttering out confusion above him, making him grin wickedly. 

You were wearing underwear that matched your dress, and he wondered if you had done that on purpose as he pulled them to the side, licking you slowly.

You gasped at the sensation, clutching at the tree behind you. Your heart raced. You were kind of scared, but Thomas never really scared you before. He licked you again, roughly, making you bite your lip. 

Part of you wanted to stop him, but, when was the last time your husband had done this for you? Satisfied you in any way? You couldn’t even remember when. And with Thomas’ next lick, you barely remembered that you were married.

“Oh, fuck.” You gasped. “W-we shouldn’t, here, not here.”

Thomas threw your legs over his shoulders, drawing out a satisfying scream from you. Nothing was holding you up but him and the tree, and that made it all the easier to fuck you with his tongue. 

He shoved his tongue into you, flicking it in and out of your pussy as he lapped you up. He had never done this before, he didn’t quite know what to do, but what he did know was that he wanted to taste you more.

Thomas lapped at your heat lying a dying man finding water. His hands wrapped around your thighs, squeezing them tightly, pulling you harder into his face, shoving his tongue into you again, pushing it as deep as he could go.

“Oh my god.” You whined, your head falling back. You had waited so long for this, for release, for touch. You had never been this sensitive before. Even his breath drove you crazy as he panted against you, the poor man forgetting to come up for air. “My clit, my clit, please. Please Thomas.”

Thomas finally pulled back, breathing heavily. Clit? 

He dragged his tongue over you slowly, trying to figure out what you meant. Your hips jerked violently as his tongue reached the top, and so Thomas figured that was what you meant.

He began focusing on that part, realizing there was a small bump there, He wrapped his lips around it, sucking softly, grinning at the sound of your half-muffled cries. 

Your legs stiffened around his head as you came, pulling him tighter around you as the pressure finally burst, months on neglect making you cry as you finally reached your climax.

Moaning, you shivered as Thomas licked your mess clean. He slowly set you on the ground, your legs jelly. He steadied your legs, holding them still as you regained your footing. He reached down, securing his mask on his face before slowly coming out from under your dress.

Thomas’ eyes widened when he saw that you were crying. A little, but still crying.

He shot up, coming back to his senses, he held up his hands, hovering around you as he realized what he had just done.

You laughed softly, wiping away your tears. “No, it’s okay, it’s okay, Thomas.” You laughed more, shaking your head. “I haven’t cum in a long time, that was just a lot.”

Thomas continued hovering over you, his eyes betraying he was still worried.

You reached out, cupping his face and pulling him closer, kissing him on the forehead. “It’s okay Thomas, I wanted it.”

He pulled back, wiping the last of the wetness from your cheek.

“It was just a lot, they were good tears.” You smiled, blushing. 

Thomas looked down at you, letting himself be charmed by how cute you were. He had touched you, tasted you, and you had wanted it. He nodded slightly so you knew he was listening.

You smiled a bit more nervously, looking down at your ring. “Well, I should get home. I’m-. Well-. Thank you.”

You gave him a smile before turning, walking back to town.

Thomas watched you go, tightness in his pants. He had no idea what had just happened, how it had happened, why you had chosen him (if all of this had been to find a new lover), so he tried not to think about any of that.

He turned, walking home, focusing on what he did know. He knew he made you cum. And he knew that your scent was still on his lips, his mask locking it in, so he could breathe you in all the way home.


	2. Earlier That Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a prequel to the smut.

The sun filtering through your window woke you. You sighed softly, turning to look at your husband, Danny. He was sleeping peacefully, turned away from you.

You crept closer to him, running your hands down his arm, pressing your chest against his back. He groaned slightly, shifting beneath you. You kissed his ear, hugging him gently.

He groaned, elbowing you off of him. 

That hurt your feelings, but you tried to give him the benefit of the doubt. It was early in the day, after all.

“Morning.” You whispered.

Danny turned, looking at you, pressing his lips together in a smile. “Morning.” He grumbled.

You laid down next to him, running your hand up and down his leg. “Do you want to have sex before work steals you away?”

He sighed, looking up at the clock. “Only if you can get me hard in six minutes.”

“Jesus, Danny.” You spat, sitting up and pulling on your robe.

He chuckled behind you, sitting up as well. “What? That’s all the time I have, and I’m not hard yet.”

“Well that was still shitty.” You said, walking to the closet and throwing his work clothes onto the bed. “Like you’d only have sex with me if you absolutely had to.”

“Come on, you know I love doing it with you.” He pulled on his clothes as you headed to the door.

You knew you would be gearing up to a fight if you said the next thing in your mind, but you said it anyway. “Then why don’t you ever start it? Why is it always my idea? And why can’t you finish...”

His face hardened, and he brushed past you. “I’m not talking about this right now.”

You crossed your arms, looking away. Part of you didn’t want to make sex such a big deal, but the other part of you felt like something in you was fading away every time he rejected you.

“Whatever, I’m leaving.” He snapped, grabbing his car keys. 

“What about breakfast?” You asked weakly.

“I’ll pick up something.” And with that, he left.

Shoulders slumping in defeat, you walked to the bathroom, looking at yourself in the mirror. Was there something wrong with your appearance you weren’t seeing? Had you really changed so much since the two of you got married? People said you were the prettiest girl in town, but what if that was some sort of sick joke?

Pushing those thoughts out of your head, you got about your morning. Did your hair, put on a bit of makeup, and did a few chores. 

A good amount of the day was spent finishing your dress. You had started it three days prior, and it was finally done. You slipped it on, grinning in victory. It fit you perfectly

Walking out of the house, you walked around tow, feeling out your dress. You waved at people, spoke to a few others who were milling about, ignoring the bad thoughts that started to creep into your head.

Was there an outside reason he wouldn’t have sex with you? Someone fulfilling those needs? Or were you really that repulsive to him for no reason other than the fact that you were you?

You didn’t realize how far you had walked until you saw the plant. You’d been so in your own head you had walked all the way out of town. It didn’t smell pretty good, so you were about to turn and go home when you spotted a figure a little days down the road.

Those broad shoulders could only belong to one person. Thomas Brown Hewitt. 

A smile crept its way onto your face when you saw him. You had always liked him. You weren’t sure why. You just did. You’d always wanted to get closer to him, but you never knew how to go about doing that.

In an odd way, you found him attractive. It was his eyes. They were intense, the kind of intensity that you just didn’t see in other people. Something about him was almost otherworldly to you, and you wanted to know why.

You picked up your pace, jogging to reach him. You skidded past him, almost out of breath, but still smiling. “Hey Thomas.”

He nodded, not stopping to let you catch your breath, continuing to walk. You followed, feeling better just being in the presence of another person.

“I just thought you might like some company.” Liar. “I just finished this dress, so I figured I’d parade it around town.” I’m unhappy when I’m alone. “Do you like it?” Do you think I’m pretty? Worthy? Is my company unbearable? Why doesn’t my husband like me?

Thomas watched you silently. You waited for a reaction, but he offered none. At least he wasn’t still walking away from you.

“Well?” You asked, feeling that same fading feeling you got when Danny rejected you. 

Finally, Thomas nodded, beginning to walk again. You trailed after him again, humming quietly. Nothing in particular, but coming up with a tune helped fill your mind.

Why did it feel like you weren’t good enough? Why was all this so important? Why couldn’t you get these bad thoughts out of your head?

You looked at Thomas, wondering what he would want in a wife. What did Thomas picture when he was alone? Who did he picture?

His arms were so strong. You would probably feel so safe in them. So special.

Why not, you were going to ask him. What’s the worst that could happen?

“Can I talk to you about something, kind of personal?”


	3. After

You sat on your bed, hugging your knees to your chest tightly. Your body was still tingling from when Thomas had eaten you out. Your already hot face heated up even more at the memory. You put your hands over your face in a futile attempt to alleviate the embarrassment.

When was the last time someone other than Danny had eaten you out? Probably years before you were married. Hell, when was the last time Danny had eaten you out? Wracking your brain, you frowned when you realized you couldn’t even remember the last time Danny had been so selfless toward you. And Thomas had done it without any prompting! If you wanted Danny to eat you out, you had to give him at least a day’s notice and promise to shave.

You frowned deeply at the thought. It shouldn’t be this complicated. A sex life shouldn’t be this difficult to navigate. 

On the other hand, you were the one who had cheated, not Danny. You wanted to feel bad, but you kind of didn’t. It was a strange feeling. You were feeling bad for not feeling bad at all. 

Nothing had seemed to work with Danny for a long time, for reasons entirely unknown to you. You had tried to talk to him, tried to get him to open up, tried with all your might to understand why he didn’t seem to want you. Hell, you had tried even harder to be his type, to work to make yourself attractive to him whenever you had the chance. You knew that there had never been an event that Danny had brought you to that didn’t have people walking away from it talking about how attractive Danny’s wife was.

But all he did was go to work, come home, complain about work, and eat the food you made for him. No stimulating conversation, no love, no loving. 

Your body twitched against your will as you thought of what Thomas had done to you. He was inexperienced, that was obvious, but you could tell he had been eager to learn.

“I always knew I liked him.” You giggled to yourself, your hand trailing down between your legs before you were even aware it was moving. 

A quiet moan escaped your lips as you rolled your clit through your panties. They were still soaked from earlier. You had meant to change, but had gotten distracted by the hurricane in your mind. 

Closing your eyes, you moved your hand under your dress, trying to perfectly recreate that moment under the tree on that dusty country path in your mind. The fear of being caught. The excitement of being touched. The flattery. 

Yes, flattery, that was the right word. On some level, a part of you had wanted an experience like that, and Thomas had given it to you as if it was nothing. He had gotten on his knees and eaten you as if you were the best tasting thing he had ever tasted in his life. It made you feel beautiful, desirable.

Not to mention, the sight of having such a scary man on his knees, between your legs. Half of the town was too scared to talk to him after his growth spurt, called him a ghoul and a spook among other unflattering names. A monster. A big, scary monster, pleasuring you, and only you, because he had wanted to pleasure you. 

He was all for you.

You moved your underwear to the side, thrusting your fingers inside of yourself, impatient from just teasing your clit. Your sounds were getting louder, filling the bedroom with gasps and moans that it hadn’t heard in god knew how long.

Unbeknownst to you, on the outskirts of town, in the Hewitt house, Thomas sat on his bed as well, thinking about you.

Thomas could still smell your scent on his laps, trapped and kept safe by his mask. A smell that only your husband was allowed to smell, but this was all for Thomas. 

He smirked slightly, picturing that asshole Danny, who always acted so self-important, swaggering around town as if he was hot shit. If only he knew. 

He subconsciously licked his lips, wanting to taste you again. You’d wanted it, you told him that you did. You had cried too, and Thomas didn’t mean for that, but you had insisted that they were good tears, so all he could do was believe you.

The thought of a woman like you, who – though Thomas hated to admit it – was everything Thomas could ever want in a wife and lover, left alone and untouched for months on end drove Thomas insane. If you belonged to him, god if you belonged to him, he would never leave you alone, not for one red second. He would praise you, and touch you, and pleasure you every chance he got.

Thomas looked down at his crotch, seeing that the tent that he had gotten under control on the way home spring back up again. It was supposed to be his turn to put up the laundry, but he couldn’t leave his room like this. But you had invaded his head, making it impossible for him to work. 

Straining his ears, he tried to pick up any sounds that might indicate that someone was coming to his room looking for him. When he heard nothing, Thomas unzipped his pants, letting his erection spring free.

Inhaling deeply, he turned off his brain as he inhaled you, stroking his cock. He tried to relax as he pumped himself, but all he could think about was touching you again. If he would ever get the chance to, if you would let him, or if he would be left with that one memory for the rest of his life.

He groaned softly, gripping himself tighter and moving his hand harder. No matter what, if he got the chance to be with you again, he wouldn’t waste a single moment. He wanted to see your orgasm face. Thomas had been deprived of that, since he couldn’t see you through your skirt. He’d had to rely on the sounds you were making. 

He pictured you, pinned against a tree, lying in the grass, his breath hitched as he pictured you in a bed, beckoning him closer. He couldn’t deny it, he wanted you like he had never wanted anything before. You had awoken it in him, and now you were all he could think of.

Your back arched, your breathing speeding up as you felt yourself nearing the edge. You felt the now-unfamiliar of pressure building in your abdomen, about to burst-.

“What’s all this?” 

The voice snapped you to attention, your body flying to conceal what you were just doing. Throwing your skirt over your legs, leaning against a pillow and looking towards the door, shoving your dirty hand under the covers in an attempt to hide any smells, you saw Danny standing in the doorway.

“Danny.” You said flatly, your brain still trying to calculate what expression you were supposed to have.

He chuckled, throwing his jacket over a chair. “Please, don’t stop on my account.”

“I wasn’t doing anything.” You lied quickly, feeling more shame for picturing another man while masturbating than you did for actually cheating.

Danny snorted, walking past the bed to the bathroom. “Just make sure your hands are washed before you make dinner.” He said, closing the door behind him.

You glared at the bathroom door, any semblance of a growing orgasm you had felt now long gone.


	4. Coke

You sat at the kitchen counter, staring at a bunch of bananas. There was nothing particularly interesting about the bananas, and they were also not actually what you were focusing on. You hadn’t made breakfast for yourself, and it was already well past lunch. 

Guilt came and went. It would suddenly crash over you like a wave of water, temporarily drowning you until you could claw your way back to the surface. Danny hadn’t exactly been acting like the man you married, but he still was the man you married. He had been your choice, and that was supposed to mean for life. 

The memory of Thomas’ tongue made you jerk, and your body temperature rise in arousal and embarrassment. That feeling also came and went, almost tag-teaming with the guilt. 

The two conflicting feelings wore you out, and it felt as if you were being physically jerked back and forth. 

Sighing, you leaned back, looking up at the ceiling, tapping your nails on the countertop, thinking of the pros and cons of meeting up with Thomas again. Pro, you wanted to. Con, he might not want to. Pro, he might want to. Con, he might think lowly of you now. Pro, he might not. Con, you two might be found out. Pro, he was already good with his tongue and no experience, so with some more experience he could be amazing. Con, he was the ugliest man in town by popular vote, so the gossip would be cutthroat if the affair got out. Pro, you thought that he had amazing eyes.

You slammed your hands down on the counter, shouting out a sound of frustration and standing, heading to your vanity. 

Sitting down in front of it, you brushed out your hair, pulling it up in a pretty ribbon that matched your dress. You put on a bit of lipstick, and a bit of mascara, just enough so that it wouldn’t look like you were wearing makeup. 

You’d talk to him. That’s all you were going to do. Talk to him, just to air out things between the two of you. And, and you’d tell him that was a one-time mistake. That you were married and that you were out of line to bring up something so personal to a total stranger. 

Standing to leave, you paused, looking at your skirt in the mirror. You slowly lifted it, looking at the underwear you were wearing that day. It was a white pair that were a little on the used side.

“Oh, god.” You slipped out of your panties, tossing them in the dirty clothes and hurrying to your underwear drawer, pulling out a newer pair that you had only worn once. It was a dark shade of blue, and had cute little bows on your hips. You slipped them on, pretending to be ignorant of why you had decided to change your underwear.

Grabbing your purse, you hurried out the front door. 

You mimicked what you had done the day before after your fight with Danny. You walked around town, saying hi to whoever you passed, but this time you stopped by the gas station where Thomas’ mama worked. 

Luda Mae glanced up at you as you walked in. “Afternoon.” She called.

“Afternoon already? Wow.” You smiled, walking over to the counter. “Can I buy two bottled cokes please?”

“Course you may.” She replied, grabbing two cokes and setting them down. 

You handed her a dollar, putting the bottles in your purse. “Thank you, ma’am.”

Luda Mae nodded. “Have a good one.”

“You too.” You nodded, shuffling to the door. You put your hand on the handle, turning back to her. “Say hi to your son for me.”

Luda Mae frowned in confusion, putting her hands on her hips. She opened her mouth, and you quickly slipped out the door, kicking yourself for making such a request. 

You outwardly flinched ass you walked towards the meat packaging factory, still obsessing over asking her to say hi to Thomas for you. Luda Mae probably thought you were trying to make fun of Thomas, or of her. 

What finally stopped you from kicking yourself was the sight of the factory. The sight of it made your mind still, and your heart race. 

Following the path you had spotted Thomas on the day before, you walked past the factory. His home was probably down this road somewhere, and this road would be the best place to wait for him.

You glanced at your watch. He would probably get out of work fairly soon, since this was around the time that you had spotted him yesterday. You curled up under a tree, looking around. 

The sky was grey, and that only made the lush greenery all around you look that much greener. Because the sky was cloudy, the normal Texas heat now more bearable. 

You crossed your legs, folding your hands in your lap and closing your eyes. It really was nice out. The bright green all around you helped calm your frayed nerves. Sitting and relaxing helped make your problems seem just a little smaller. 

Softly, you heard approaching footsteps on the path. You opened your eyes, peaking around a bush to see Thomas heading your way. 

You stood, fixing your hair as best you could without a mirror and smoothing down your brows with your ring fingers.

Thomas spotted you through the leaves, raising an eyebrow as he walked over to you. Your eyes widened slightly, a blush instantly appearing on your cheeks. 

“Thomas.” You breathed, not expecting the embarrassment to follow you all the way here. You pushed your hair behind your ear, glancing away from him. “Hi.”

He nodded slightly, feeling his face grow hot at the sight of you. You were all he could think about all last night, it had even stopped him from sleeping. Every time he thought he was done, your smell on hips lips got him going again. 

“I, um…” You tried to speak, getting stuck on your word. You didn’t even know what you were planning on saying anymore. 

He nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. He’d hoped you’d come back to him, he never would have dreamed that you would, much less the very next day.

“I just, I think that we should maybe talk about yesterday.” You stammered, pushing more imaginary hair behind your ear. “I, well, I’m married, and I, I was out of line, but you were too, but I mean, we both…”

Thomas smiled slightly behind his mask. He was nervous, true, but you were so cute when you were embarrassed. He listened to you stammer, his eyes drifting over your body. 

He wanted to touch you again.

“Not that it wasn’t good, it was good!” You wrung your hands. “But it’s just that the bible…and by the power of the state, you know, ‘by the power vested in me and the state of Texas.’ I always thought that killed the mood during the ceremony, I don’t want to be reminded about where I live-!”

His eyes drifted back to your mouth, his cock twitching in his pants. 

He took a deep breath, steadying himself. You were talking a lot, but the bottom line was that you didn’t want to do it again, he could gather that much. 

Thomas began focusing on your words again, nodding to what you were saying.

“And, well, we’re not animals, we can control ourselves, and I should really try to fix things with Danny, not go running off for satisfaction somewhere else like some floozie, but I guess thank you for taking care of me yesterday if that’s what you call it? But also no thanks, because it really came out of nowhere, and you know permission is important with sex stuff.” You but your cheek, shutting yourself up. You looked away, nodding slightly, feeling dumb.

He nodded slightly, turning away from you. He wasn’t an animal, he could handle rejection better than most men. He took a step towards home when you pipped up again.

“Do you want a pop?” You asked suddenly.

Thomas turned back to you, surprise evident on his face. 

“I bought two cokes from your mom.” You dug into your purse, handing him a bottle.

He barked out a laugh, surprising the both of you. You looked up at him with wide, nervous eyes, and he tried to cover the laugh by pretending to cough. You bought him a consolation soda for rejecting him? 

Thomas took it, opening it and taking a swig. You mimicked him, putting your back to the tree and sliding down it. Thomas sat in front of you, watching as you took a small sip of your coke.

You pursed your lips and nodded, looking around nervously. “I-. I liked it. What you did. And I don’t want you to feel bad for doing it.”

He nodded slightly, watching you fiddle with the glass. 

“I know you were scared because I cried a little.” You finished, taking another sip. 

Thomas held out his hand, as if he wanted you to take it. You hesitantly did, placing your fingers in his palm. He wrapped his fingers around yours, gently pulling you into his lap. 

You stiffened in surprise, knowing how weak your resolve would be if he touched you again, but he made no move to put his hands where they weren’t wanted. Instead, Thomas just hugged you, gently patting you on the back as his mama had done for him so many times over the years. 

The surprise quickly changed to something else. Sadness. A deep well of sadness that had been growing in your chest since Danny had stopped touching you, and amplified by finding solace in the man you had cheated on him with. Loneliness. For when you had tried to tell your friends about Danny’s coldness, they had told you it was your job to make him want you.

Yet, in this silent embrace, you could feel what Thomas was telling you. That it wasn’t your fault. 

A gasp escaped your lips before you could help it, and that gasp quickly turned to tears. You clung to Thomas, who smelled like meat and blood, sobbing into his wide chest. His thick arms tightened around you, holding you securely in place as your body shook with sobs.

Thomas stared at the base of the tree as you cried, slowly rocking from side to side. Amazing how quickly his mood could shift from wanting you, to pitying you. He couldn’t comprehend why your husband wasn’t making love to you every chance he got.

You pulled away, wiping your cheeks for any running mascara, gasping softly as you fought to catch your breath. 

“I can’t believe I’m crying again.” You laughed joylessly, putting your hands on your lap. “I’m sorry I keep bothering you, Thomas. I know you probably don’t have a good opinion of me after yesterday.”

Thomas frowned and shook your head, still holding you on his lap. He lifted his hand to your face, wiping off the last trace of mascara from your cheek. He shook his head again for emphasis. 

Thomas had a bad opinion of the people he grew up with, but you had only moved into town after marrying Danny. And during that time, you had always been civil, even friendly to Thomas. No, he didn’t have a bad opinion of you. Not after he was the one to pin you to a tree and take advantage of you. That had been his mistake, and he had pulled you into it.

You sniffed, wiping your nose of your wrist in an unladylike manner. You glanced up at him, flashing a small smile before looking away again. 

You took a deep breath, steadying yourself. “Thomas, I like your eyes.”

Thomas blinked; that was one thing he hadn’t expected to hear from this conversation. 

“And I like your arms.” You laughed shakily. “They’re strong, and make me feel safe. Great arms for crying into.”

He nodded slightly, furrowing his brow in confusion.

“Thomas, I want to do more things with you.” You confessed, looking at anything but him. “I liked what you did, and I like you, and I think you’re nice, and handsome in your own way, and I want to keep feeling good, and if I were going to have an affair with anyone, I’d rather it be you, because you’re still nice even though I-.”

Your rambling was cut off as Thomas gently pushed you backwards, his arms still securely around your back. His large body hovered over you, his form hiding the sky from you. 

He swallowed, looking you up and down as he shifted so your legs were between his knees. He couldn’t believe any of what you said, but at the same time, he didn’t believe you were a liar. 

His parted his lips nervously, looking back up at your face. He might have jumped the gun yesterday, but today was different. He was going to wait for your go-ahead. 

You seemed just as preoccupied as him, your eyes trailing up and down his body as you laid out in the grass beneath him. 

When your eyes finally met, all you could do was give him a small nod.


	5. Kiss

Thomas looked over your body, amazed he had this chance again. He had prayed for it the night before, and here you were again. 

He let a hand slowly trail down your body. From your shoulder, down your chest and your stomach, to the top of your thigh. His fingers hooked under your skirt, slowly pulling up your skirt. Thomas smirked slightly when he realized your underwear matched your dress again today. 

Slowly leaning down, he kissed the skin just above your panty line, making you squirm from ticklishness. He chuckled, reaching up and slowly pulling down the top of your dress, showing your bra. It matched your panties. How perfectly put together just for him to take apart.

You looked up at him, your breath speeding up from nervousness. His gaze made your skin feel like it was on fire. 

Pushing yourself up to your elbows, you reached behind you, unzipping your dress. You slowly pushed it down your body, kicking it off to the side. 

You had never been outside in just your underwear before. It was nerve wracking, but having Thomas’ large form over you made you feel safer. 

Thomas ran his hands up your thighs, letting them rest on your waist. It was almost overwhelming to have you so easily, so all at once. He wanted you in a million different ways and had no idea where to start. 

Sitting up, you rested your hands on his shoulders. “Do you want to get undressed too?”

His eyes widened, shaking his head quickly. 

You smiled. “No? But I’m all exposed for you.” 

He nodded slightly, sitting back on his legs. You did have a point, but he did not want you to see him naked. Not with his scars and his large body that loomed over the average man. It was no secret that most everyone thought he was monstrous, and frankly Thomas had to agree.

You sat up to meet him, kissing his temple. “If you’re scared, we don’t have to.” 

He closed his eyes as you ran your fingers through his hair. Your voice was calming, soothing his nerves. He wouldn’t have to undress after all, thank god.

“I-if it’s alright with you, can I do something I’ve been missing a lot?” You asked, sitting back on your legs as well. 

He nodded slightly in reply, watching your hand snake out and take his hand in yours. You hesitantly moved closer, taking his other hand and making him wrap his arms around your waist. 

Thomas wasn’t sure what you were doing, but he definitely wasn’t about to argue when you climbed up onto his lap. Running his hands along your back and ass, his eyes continued to roam your body, drinking in the sight and committing every curve to memory.

You reached up to his face, making him flinch away.

“I won’t move it, I promise.” You said hurriedly, holding your hands up in surrender. “I just, I want to kiss you.” You looked away, a blush finding its way to your cheeks as nervousness took hold of you once again. “I haven’t had many good kisses in a while.”

Thomas frowned at your words. Any more confessions like that and he would kick your husband’s ass himself. He lifted his hand to his mask, adjusting the mouth hole, spreading it a bit, careful not to reveal too much of his face. 

You gave him a smile, wrapping your arms around his neck. “Thank you, Thomas.”

‘Don’t thank me for wanting you.’ He thought, leaning closer to you. 

You met him halfway, your soft lips pressing against his chapped ones. It amazed him how warm your lips were. He held you tighter, pressing his crotch up into yours. A soft moan escaped you as you pulled back for air. Thomas barely had a moment to breathe before your lips rammed against his again, your desperation bleeding through as you parted your lips for him.

Thomas opened his mouth a bit, mimicking you. A low rumble escaped him as your tongue slowly traced his lips. 

The sound only spurred you on as you slipped your tongue fully into his mouth, moving it around, on high alert for any signs of encouragement from Thomas. He carefully met his tongue to meet yours, his entire body tensing as they touched. 

Grasping your ass, Thomas pushed his tongue into your mouth. You moaned softly, letting him taste you to his heart’s content, grinding into his hands. 

Thomas pulled back when he felt pressure in his pants, getting hard from just a kiss. He would have been embarrassed, but the redness of your face let him know that you were just as aroused as him.

His hand crept to your front, rolling his finger over your clit through your panties, feeling the wetness there. You really wanted him. Somehow, even after everything it was hard to accept, but your body couldn’t lie. 

You giggled softly, tucking your hair behind your ears. “That was a good kiss.”

Chuckling, he nodded, continuing to rub your panties, observing how it made your back stiffen and your nipples grow hard. He couldn’t believe he ate pussy before his first kiss.

“What next?” You breathed, bucking your hips into his hand.


	6. Outdoors

Thomas continued rubbing you, watching how your back arched and your mouth opened with a soft gasp. You were growing wet from his touch, and that only spurred him on further as he rubbed you harder. 

You slowly rolled your hips into his hand, taking some initiative in your pleasure. You pressed back on your hands, lifting your hips slightly to give Thomas a better look at what he was doing to you. His eyes widened slightly at the sight of your wetness spreading across your underwear, making you flush in embarrassment and arousal. 

Your mind raced with all of the things you had wanted to do since the dry spell started. Every dirty little thing, every kink you were too afraid to admit to yourself, it all came to the forefront of your brain, wickedly tempting you to try things with Thomas you had never even tried with Danny.

Pulling your panties to the side, Thomas slipped a finger into you, earning a low moan from you. He was so large, even his fingers were thick. He slowly pumped the single digit, chest tightening in arousal at the delicious whimpers that came from you in response.

Moving your hips slowly to meet his finger, you watched Thomas’ face, wetting your lips with your tongue. Months of neglect from your husband made you feel as though you had never had sex before. When Thomas gently pushed a second finger into you, you could feel yourself stretching around him.

“Oh god.” You moaned, moving your hips more into his hand, the sound of your wetness on his fingers only fanning your flames. “Thomas, Tommy, harder!”

Thomas felt himself blush at your casual use of his nickname, moving his fingers harder into you, leaning down to look at your pussy that was glistening with your arousal. He leaned closer, sticking his tongue out of the hole in his mask, licking your clit as he fingered you.

Your back arched, letting out a needy moan. You knew it was coming, it was coming and Thomas had barely done anything to you yet. Your hand flew out, grabbing his hair and trying to pull him to you even though it was impossible for him to get any closer. 

Thomas rumbled lowly, licking you harder. He usually hated being touched roughly or unexpectedly, but he would die a happy man if he got to feel your desperate tugging at his hair every night. He moved his fingers harder into you, slipping in a third, marveling at your tightness. 

Gasp after shuddering gasp escaped your lips as the feeling grew, your hips bucking without permission. As the third finger pushed all the way into you, your entire body convulsed as you came. 

Your grip on his hair tightened, your body shaking as Thomas forced you to ride out your orgasm on his fingers, the extra stimulation prolonging your pleasure. All you could do was cling to him as he thrust his fingers harder, his tongue continuing to lap at your clit. 

Thomas didn’t pull back until your body went lip, your hand slipping from his hair as you panted on the ground beneath him. He slowly pulled his fingers out of you, admiring the blissed out look on your face as he did.

As you came back to reality, you looked at Thomas with soft eyes, a tired smile forming on your face. You held out your arms to him, beckoning him to lie with you.

Thomas complied, lying next to you, spreading out his arm so you could rest your head on his bicep. You pushed back his hair, kissing his neck.

“Give me your hand.” You whispered.

He slowly moved his hand to you, his erection straining against his pants. He wanted to feel as good as he had made you feel. He wanted to have sex with you. But he wanted to see what you were going to do with him first.

You took his wrist, slowly bringing his fingers to your face. They were still wet from your pussy. You smiled mischievously before slowly dragging your tongue up his index finger.

His entire body stiffened at the feeling of your tongue on his finger, his breath speeding up as you continued licking his fingers clean. His cock ached with the need to fuck you.

You wrapped your lips around his fingers, slowly bobbing your head up and down the digits, your tongue rubbing against his fingertips. You sucked on them, your eyes on Thomas’ face, your eyes glazed over in lust. 

You didn’t pull back until you could no longer taste yourself on his fingers. You slowly pulled away from his fingers, flashing Thomas a wry smile as you let go of his wrist. 

“I taste good on you.” You hummed.

That was the last straw.

Thomas climbed over you, pulling his dick out of his pants. Your eyes widened at the sight of it. His cock was thick and long, in fact it was the biggest you had ever seen in person. 

Your eyes flicked up to his nervously, wondering if it would even fit in your neglected pussy. Thomas looked you up and down, pumping his length in anticipation as he lined up between your legs.

Slipping out of your bra, you lied under him, completely exposed for him.

“I’m ready.” You whispered, wrapping your arms around his neck. 

Nodding, Thomas put his forehead against yours, breathing out slowly as he pushed himself into you. His back stiffened as he clenched his hands into fists. 

It was almost enough to make him cum. You were so wet and tight around him, and your pussy was hot around his cock. He bit the inside of his cheek to bring himself back into reality, trying to bring himself from the brink. He could never look you in the eye again if he came just from being inside you.

Below him, you were almost in the same boat as Thomas. Even though he had stretched you with his fingers, that was almost no preparation for his dick. You gasped, feeling as if Thomas was ripping you in half. He twitched inside you, making you suck in your breath through your teeth. 

The two of you clung to each other, both of you trying to collect yourselves. You were the first to finally relax, kissing Thomas on the cheek.

“Move?” You asked quietly. 

Thomas nodded, tentatively moving deeper until he was entirely in you to the hilt. 

You gasped in surprise, clutching at his shirt. You had thought he was already all the way in.

“Oh my god.” You moaned, slowly moving your hips, moving just a bit to get used to the feeling of him stretching you. 

Thomas groaned softly, slowly pulling out of you, reveling in your moan as he pushed back in. You were too much for him, and he knew it. He moved slowly, focusing on anything else but your perfect naked form under him to make it last. 

You moved with him, your body hungry for him, needing him, lusting after the feeling of his length filling you. You moved harder and faster than him, the feelings of need that had been building over the last several months overflowing now that you got a taste of intimacy again. 

His fingers dug into the dirt on either side of your head, his teeth gritting as he started moving with you. Both of you knew that you couldn’t last long. Him a virgin, you so sensitive you could hardly stand it. 

You wrapped your legs around him, pulling him closer to you with every thrust with your legs. 

The sun beat down on the both of you, making you both sweat from the sweltering heat and from the physical exertion, making your skin cling to his as he thrust. The sound of skin on skin only put you closer to the edge, your toes curling as your bodies rammed together.

“Th-Thomas, T-Tommy, p-please pull out!” You whimpered as you met your end, your body tensing and your pussy clamping down on Thomas’ dick.

Thomas almost came the moment you did, but forced the feeling back long enough to pull out of you, jacking himself off over your and cumming on your stomach.

His cum shot out over you, hot white spilling out over your stomach and chest. Thomas gasped and whined, almost collapsing on top of you but steadying himself with his free hand, continuing to pump himself with the other one.

You moaned, your body still shivering from your orgasm. 

Thomas stilled, panting softly. His eyes looked over his good work, at the sight of you covered in his cum. It was the best thing he had ever seen in his life.

You squirmed under his gaze, blushing as the cum started dripping down your sides. You dragged a finger through it, bringing it to your mouth and tasting his cum.

Thomas moaned at the sight, taking off his apron and using it to mop up his mess. You giggled, sitting up after he was done cleaning you off.

“I think I need a shower after that.” You kissed his cheek, pulling your dress over to you and using it to cover yourself, as if you had any modesty left.

Thomas nodded in agreement, putting the apron back on. He smiled nervously behind his mask, watching you get dressed. 

The two of you rose, and you gently took his hand, squeezing it. 

“Can we meet up again?” You asked softly.

He quickly nodded in agreement, squeezing your hand back. You smiled and got on your tip toes, kissing his cheek again.

“I-. Well-. Thank you.” You giggled, breaking away from him. “You’re really good. I’ll see you…next week? Same time and place?”

Thomas nodded, watching as you turned and walked back towards your home. The home you shared with your husband. Well, Thomas couldn’t afford to be jealous at his point. He got you when Danny didn’t, and for now that would be enough for him.


	7. Walking Home

You felt strange as you walked home. The weight that had been weighing down your shoulders for so long seemed a bit lighter. It didn’t feel completely gone, but it did feel as though there was something shouldering a bit of that weight with you now.

Your lips pressed into a thin line, and that line became a grin, and the grin turned into giggles that you covered with your hands as you walked home. Your body still tingled from cumming, and you felt yourself twinge every time you thought about what you and Thomas had done together. 

Part of you wondered if Thomas was feeling as happy as you were. You hoped he was. You hoped that being with you had made him as happy as he had made you. Did men get happy after things like that? Or did they just have sex and forget about it? Well, even if men did do that, Thomas was probably different. 

Giggling more, you slowed your walk to a snail’s pace, eager to keep this feeling for as long as possible, to stay in this giddy high, in this moment in time where you weren’t tied down to reality. 

On this walk, you weren’t a married woman going to the home that you shared with your husband. On this walk, you could be a forest nymph who had found a mate in the form of large werewolf. Or a teenager nervous but happy after her first time with her boyfriend. An actress on her way home from a scandalous hookup. Under the open sky, with sweat dripping down your skin, you could imagine any reality you wanted.

No matter how nice the walk was, or how joyful the tightness in your chest felt, each step still took you closer to your house. Closer, and closer, until it was in sight. 

One some level, you hated how you needed someone to confirm your sexual worth. That someone was supposed to be Danny, but he certainly refused to rise to the occasion. Over and over and over he had told you with his actions that you weren’t attractive or desirable. When the two of you did have sex, it was brief. The sessions had become fewer and further between before they had finally tapered off altogether. 

But when Thomas and you had sex, he made you feel desirable. And he made you feel good about yourself. 

You walked up to your house, pulling out your key and unlocking the front door, stepping inside. Much to your surprise, Danny sat on the couch, the TV turned on to some sitcom.

He glanced back at you, smiling a bit. “There you are, baby.”

“Danny!” You stepped inside, the happy tightness of your chest quickly shifting into nervous anticipation. There was no way he knew where you were, what you were doing. “What are you doing home?”

Walking around the couch, you sat down next to him, hyperaware of everything about you. The smell of sweat on your skin. Was the smell of sex on you too? Could Danny smell it?

“I left early.” He said, lowering his head into your lap, the ghost of a wince on his face. “My stomach started hurting.”

“Oh, no.” You reached down, gently rubbing his stomach. You pretended to be concerned for him, though truly your distress came from the fear of being caught. “Do you know what’s wrong?”

Danny shook his head, burying his face in your thighs. You bit your lip, pressing your thighs together as tightly as you could manage with him resting his head on them, praying he couldn’t smell anything on them. God, you’d have run through the hose if you’d known this was going to happen. 

“Just keep rubbing my stomach.” He said. So you did. And for a moment, you remembered why you were attracted to him when you first met. His handsome face, which had seemed perpetually tensed ever since the two of you had moved to his hometown, now relaxed as he rested on you.

You wanted to ask him, what had changed? What had changed from the moment you two said your vows to now? What invisible force was making moments like this so hard to come by? How did everything get so messy?

Instead of asking those questions, you just continued to rub his stomach and look down at his resting face. Just the two of you, sitting quietly together with the TV going in the background. The quiet intimacy that came with being around someone for a long time. 

Even in this small moment of intimacy, you couldn’t bring yourself to feel guilty. Not right now, not yet, not when you could still feel traces of satisfaction in your body from finally receiving the attention you had craved so badly. So instead of guilt, you just enjoyed this moment with your husband, knowing that it would pass by before you knew it.


	8. Get Together

It was that time again, no matter how you had been dreading it. The one day every month where a certain group of the housewives would get together into one home and throw a little get together. The get together consisted of finger foods that weren’t too fattening, bitter dry wine that you couldn’t understand how anyone could like, and the ladies complaining about their husbands and children. 

Different groups got together at different times, depending on who hated who and who was invited to each one. You were invited to two or three of these kinds of groups, able to blend into so many by keeping your head down. Of course, the town was so small that it was hard for the groups to not overlap in their attendees, but everyone simply pretended that they either didn’t know about the parties they weren’t invited to or pretended they hadn’t attended the parties others weren’t invited to.

These groups that got together consisted of women who were farmers in their childhoods, came from farmers and grew as farmers, but as time went on tried to turn themselves into high society women by copying what they saw models do in magazines. You always came along, because frankly there was nothing else for you to do otherwise.

If you were entirely honest with yourself, you would admit that you were scared enough of the other women in town that you would do a lot to stay of their good sides. In such a small town, with so few people, making someone’s life hell seemed like an easy feat. The Hewitt family was probably the best example of that. 

Moving into town after marrying Danny, you had put two and two together that the Hewitt family was on everyone’s must avoid list. You had followed the example for the most part, being polite to the Hewitts when you saw them but never engaging too much for fear of ridicule in the small social circle you had managed to make for yourself. 

Until you had sex with Thomas, obviously. But that was staying a private affair for as long as you could manage it. You didn’t want to think about what would happen to you if the word got out about that. This little life you had built or yourself would be over.

“I swear to god, I should have married Sam from the next town over.” One of the women said, holding up her wine glass dramatically. “Then I wouldn’t be sitting here drinking cheap wine with all of you!”

The other women cackled at the slightly mean-spirited joke. These women had known each other since birth, so you supposed they were allowed to make jokes like that. Since you were new, your position in the group was still too precarious to dare make jokes or talk badly of anyone present. Being at the bottom of the pecking order, you just tried to exist as quietly around hem until you had built up enough of a reputation to finally speak your mind in the group.

“Oh, it wouldn’t matter who you marry, all men are the same, just like all marriages are the same.” Carol walked around the group, refilling everyone’s wines, a perfect hostess grin on her face as she went around the circle.

The leader of these women was Danny’s best friend’s wife, Carol. Her smile always faltered just a bit when she looked at you. According to Danny, she had once been considered the most beautiful woman in town until you had moved there. Danny had told you she was jealous of you, and his lips had turned upward into a proud smirk as he said that. 

At the time you had felt flattered. Now you felt more like an ornament. 

“You hardly ever drink here.” Carol pointed out, as there was no room for her to refill your glass once she made it to you. “Come on, relax for once, your house isn’t that far! You can afford to get a little tipsy.”

“Oh, sorry, I’m just a slow drinker.” You said timidly, taking sip of your wine, forcing your face to not contort at the bitterness. 

Carol hovered over you with the wine, her smile not meeting her eyes. You took a larger gulp of the wine when you realized that she was going to wait until you had drunk enough to warrant a refill. 

You choked down three more big gulps before lowering the glass, putting all of your energy into not looking disgusted. Carol hummed and poured you more, until the wine nearly touched the rim of the glass. 

“Good.” She smiled, turning and sitting in her seat. “You might as well drink while you can, you know, soon enough Danny’ll get you pregnant, and then you’ll have to forgo wine for at least nine months!”

You nearly choked on your next sip. 

Coughing, you took a napkin and held it to your mouth, setting the dangerously full glass down on the coffee table in front of you, trying with all your might to keep it from spilling. 

The other women watched you with amusement and vague curiosity as you calmed yourself.

“It-it’s a little early for that, don’t you think?” You croaked into the napkin.

They all laughed or tittered.

“Honey, Bobby got me pregnant our wedding night.” One of them laughed. “And at least one pregnancy a year after that for the next five years.”

You hid your horror by taking another sip of disgusting wine.

“Almost the same for me, of course I’ve only got three kids so far.” Another one pipped up. 

Carol crossed her legs, leaning back in her chair and giving you a smirk. Something in that smirk scared you. It felt like she knew something you didn’t want her to know. “It’s the woman’s job to take care of her husband’s needs, after all. And if you get pregnant, then that’s just God rewarding you for your good work.”

You took another drink, a pit forming in your stomach. 

“After all, you’ve been married for what, three, four years now?” She chuckled. “I’m amazed you’re not on your second child by now.”

“Yes, well, we haven’t talked about kids.” You managed to say, forcing yourself to smile. “Like you said, it’ll happen when it happens, right?”

“Perhaps. Or, perhaps-.” She brought her hand to her lips, her fingernail lightly tracing over her lip as she broke out in a wicked grin. “Are you not taking care of your husband’s needs?”

'She knows.' 

You forced a giggle, wiping a loose drip of wine off of your glass and licking it off your finger. The other women watched you both, at the silent and barely subtle battle that was transpiring between you. One of them whispered to the other, a look transpired between two others, the rest were fixated on the two of you.

You pulled the finger from your mouth, giving Carol the side eye. You didn’t want to fight, but you didn’t want to just roll over and take it, either. “Danny and I take care of each other plenty.”

Her smirk didn’t lose any of its luster, her eyes trained on you. 

'She knows my husband won’t have sex with me.'

“Well,” she sat her wine on the counter, finally breaking eye contact. For a moment, the tension broke in the circle, but then she spoke up again, “getting pregnant would help cover up those extra pounds you’ve been gaining.”

The other women gasped, one let out a barking laugh before covering her mouth. You felt your expression slip before you could help it, and you looked to the window as the group began whispering amongst themselves. 

“So, Debby, I heard your sister is getting married!” Carol changed the subject, leaving you unable to respond to her last comeback without seeming petty. 

Angry tears threatened to form in your eyes, but you suppressed them to the best of your ability, focusing on the flower box outside the window. A bee was happily flying from flower to flower, a spot of color in the brown and dry Texas landscape that surrounded you. 

In a matter of minutes, Carol had managed to imply that either you refused to ‘service’ Danny, or Danny didn’t want you, and had insulted your body. There had to be some sort of rule against attacking someone like that for no reason. But, of course there wasn’t. Because the most powerful one in the group made the rules, and Carol was just that. 

Your nose threatened to run as your body heat increased from the threat of crying. You polished off your wine, wiping your nose with your wrist as subtly as you could as you put the glass down. 

Carol refilled your glass, not pausing in her conversation with someone else. You forced yourself to focus back on the group’s conversation, unable to show weakness in this place.

'I wonder if Thomas is thinking about me.' You wondered to yourself, your heart tightening with fear at the prospect that he might not have thought about you at all. You polished your wine off again, to have it refilled again.

You wanted to see Thomas.


	9. Mouse

Thomas lumbered through the fields near his home, his entire body beaten down from working nonstop. If he wasn’t at work he was tirelessly trying to keep his house from falling apart. It was so rare for Thomas to have a moment he wasn’t working, and now was no different.

Food had been so scarce at home lately that Thomas has started trying his hand at making traps to capture small game. It would at the very least help his mama, and he would steal reject meat from work when he could. Those two things together could really help his family eat, if only something would get stuck in the traps.

The last three had nothing in them, and the fourth had a mouse. It was barely worth taking home, but Thomas had slipped it into his pocket just in case. Waste not want not. 

He started heading to the last trap, limping slightly. His ankle had started hurting lately, and he didn’t know why. He hadn’t rolled it, so he was completely in the dark as to why he was hurting. Monty had noticed Thomas’ limping and told him that sometimes, bigger guys like Thomas just got weak ankles from carrying all that weight. If that was true or not, it didn’t matter, because it wasn’t like Thomas could change how big he was or take a break from working. Not to mention the constant pain in his back, which probably hurt for the same reason his ankle was hindering him.

Thomas was getting angry just thinking about it. Why did everything in his life have to go so wrong? Couldn’t anything just come to him easily, just once? Why did he had to scrounge for food and hurt himself by just existing, why did he have to be born with his face?

A rustling in his pocket snapped Thomas out of his spiral. He looked down at his pocket to see the mouse climbing out of his pocket. He jerked, trying to slap his hand down on the mouse, but it had already jumped from his pocket and run off into the tall grass.

That was the last straw. Thomas stomped his foot onto the ground, an angry roar ripping out of his chest. Not even that, not even a fucking mouse could come easy to him!

He twisted, his breath speeding up as he looked for something around him to break, something to rip apart, only to see you, teetering in place, your face red and your expression confused. 

The anger was still boiling in his chest, but he forced it down at the sight of you. He frowned, letting you know that now wasn’t the time. Weren’t you two supposed to meet up in three days anyway, what the hell were you doing here?

You blinked slowly, wine drunk on the drinks Carol had practically force fed you. You looked him up and down, really noticing for the first time how dirty Thomas was. Did he not have a shower at home?

“Thom-.” Hiccup. “Thom-.” Hiccup. “Thom-.” Hiccup.

You shook your head frowning at yourself. Thomas watched you, raising his eyebrows as he watched you suck in a deep breath and then holding it, puffing out your cheeks like a frog. His anger slowly dissipated as he watched you stick out your fingers one by one, apparently using them to count to ten before letting out the breath. 

You waited for a moment, holding up your hand in a ‘wait’ motion, waiting for another hiccup. When one didn’t come, you gave Tomas a smile.

“Hey Thom-!” Hiccup. “Damn it!” You shook your hands angerly, stomping your foot as one last hiccup interrupted you again.

A slow smirk spread across Thomas’ face as he watched you, the rage that had burned so hot only a minute ago successfully dampened as he watched your fight with your body.

Sighing, you looked back at Thomas. “I wanted to see you. I didn’t know where you’d be, so I wandered. A horrible idea though, this town is full of creeps.”

He knew that slight slur to your voice meant you had been drinking. Thomas walked over to you, putting a hand on your arm to help steady you.

“Oh thank you.” You practically moaned, abruptly leaning into him. Thomas put his other hand around you, not expecting you to suddenly melt into him like that. “I’ve been walking for a while and I’m tired.”

You wrapped your arms around his neck, letting out a content sigh. Thomas watched you with curiosity, wondering exactly why you were acting this way. He sank to the ground, you sitting in his lap. You curled up into him like he was an armrest, your body happy to finally get the chance to go completely limp. 

“I wanted to see you because I wanted to feel good about myself.” You mumbled into his shirt.

He rolled his eyes. Yep, that did seem to be the main reason you came to see him.

“But I think it seems like you need to feel good right now.” You pulled away from his chest, looking over his face. “Are you okay?”

The question gave him pause. Thomas lightly pat your back, hoping that would answer the question. Even if he did decide to speak, that wouldn’t be an easy question to answer. 

Frowning, you looked in his eyes. Even in your slightly inebriated state, you could read the frustration in them. 

“Okay.” You held up a finger. “First, nod your head if I’m pretty.”

Thomas blew air out of his nose but nodded anyway.

“Perfect. I needed that.” You smiled and crawled off his lap. “Now lay on the ground on your tummy.”

He raised an eyebrow again, but decided to do what he was told just to see where all of this was going. The moment he was in position you straddled his butt, crackling your knuckles while looking down at his admittedly very sweaty back. Vaguely you wondered if you could sneak him home to clean him up, but brushed off the wine-filled thought.

You started at the top, carefully kneading the muscles at the base of his neck and tops of his shoulders. At first you tried to be gentle, but the incredible stiffness of his muscles quickly made you throw that sentiment out the window. 

“Oh my god, you’re too stiff!” You exclaimed, digging even harder into his skin. 

Below you, Thomas had his eyes squeezed shut and his mouth pulled taught in a painful grimace. This hurt so damn much, were you trying to kill him? He clenched his hands into fists, debating either throwing you off his back of tapping out.

You slowly moved down to between his shoulder blades, using your thumbs to work the knots you found there. 

Thomas opened his eyes, realizing that the part you had just been abusing actually felt a little better once your hands had moved on. Vaguely, he remembered that his mama had asked him to rub her shoulders once when he was younger. So this was helping him, but why did it hurt so much.

“I never realized how stressed you are, Thomas.” You said sadly, moving lower down his back. You’d never really thought that hard about Thomas, if you were being honest with yourself. You knew he lived with his family, who were all getting up in age. Now that you thought about it, he probably was the only one of them who could do hard labor.

You were beginning to feel a little guilty for using him for sex. He had his own problems too.

His breath hitched as you found a particularly bad knot. You worked it slowly, biting your lip as he tensed under you. 

As Thomas was beginning to think that he couldn’t live another day without getting massage like this, you pulled back, slipping off him and into the grass by his side.

He sat up, groaning softly as he did so. He felt a lot looser. His back still hurt, but not as much as before. Sitting beside you, he carefully pat your head, careful not to ruin your hair.

You offered him a sleepy smile, finally entering the tired stage of tipsiness. 

“I hope your day goes better.” You slowly rose, yawning a bit. “I should go home.”

Thomas reached out, taking your hand and giving it a gentle squeeze before letting his arm drop back to his side. His way of thanking you.

Smiling more, you turned back towards town, beginning to make your way back home. “I’ll see you in a few days.”

He watched you go before standing himself, ignoring the throb in his ankle. Sex had been nice, but that – that was something else that Thomas hoped would happen between the two of you more often.


	10. Under the Tree

He was in trouble, and he knew it. Not just for the obvious reason, that if he was caught with you, he would be hunted down like an animal. There was another reason that Thomas was in trouble. That reason being that you were constantly on his mind.

Before, Thomas looked at time as if it didn’t matter. Each day was just another day he would have to work, each morning opening up another day that would be just like the day before. The monotony kept him sane, because unlike normal people, Thomas had nothing to look forward to. 

Now, he rose every day asking himself if it was the day that he would get to see you. And when it wasn’t, he would find himself hoping that you’d come and find him randomly, like the day you rubbed his back. It was constant, and it ached. His need to see you constantly burned in his chest, even more painful than the ache in his ankle. 

It was a scary feeling, and it made getting through his days so much harder. It was easier to live when all Thomas did was exist. 

Thomas had learned to numb himself from the hateful bullying of schoolyard kids, but as he grew, so did the numbness. The numbness spread to other things, like his hopes, his energy to do anything but work, his joy. It was easier for Thomas to just be a tool than to be a human being. 

Wanting to see you made his days so much longer as he waited for the day he would get to see you. 

The day of your scheduled meeting, he sat beneath the tree the two of you had sex under. His arms were crossed, and he had his eyes closed, pretending that every sound didn’t make his heart race at the thought that it could be you.

His ankle throbbed, and was getting swollen. He didn’t know why, and he refused to let anyone in the house know. Even if they did know, what could they do? They could barely afford food, much less a doctor’s visit. 

His eyes snapped open when he heard footsteps. Thomas straightened up, looking around to see you walking towards him. You had a nervous smile on your face, and you were wearing loose fitting clothing that Thomas instantly recognized would be easy to pull off. 

You gave him a small wave, and Thomas lifted his hand in response. You picked up the pace, jogging over to his side and sitting down next to him.

“Hey, you.” You smiled. Thomas felt himself smile back. 

You leaned forward, trying to give him a kiss, but his mask got in the way. Thomas shifted, surprised by the gesture. Your hands flittered up as you debated adjusting his mask, but you pulled away completely instead of trying to lock lips.

Thomas bit his cheek to stop himself from smiling more, happy that you wanted to kiss him even when the two of you weren’t having sex yet. He held out his hands, gently grabbing your head and pulling you towards him. 

He kissed you, enjoying the warmth of your breath and the feeling of your hair tangled up in his fingers. Your lips were soft and warm against his, and instantly all of the pain and longing he had been feeling worth it. Especially when you giggled against him. 

You kept giggling when you pulled back, pushing your hair behind your ears. “It feels like I’m meeting a guy behind the bleachers in high school.”

Thomas chuckled, not relating to your statement at all. He reached out, wrapping an arm around your waist and pulling you into his lap. 

You smiled and wrapped your arms around his neck, looking into his eyes. Whatever it was between you two, it was still new, not yet fully formed, but you felt that whatever this relationship was, it wasn’t just sex. You knew based on how happy you were when you saw him, the butterflies in your stomach as he gently ran his hand up and down your back. 

“What do you want to do today?” You murmured, resting your head on his shoulder. He felt solid and stable beneath you, a feeling you could appreciate after going so long feeling like a ghost in your own home. 

Thomas blew air out his nose, looking down your body. What did he want to do? Fucking, everything. Anything and anything you’d let him do. 

He shifted, gearing up to pin you against the tree, when his ankle moved in just the wrong way, sending shooting pains through his entire body. A pained shout escaped him, tensing and curling up into himself.

“Thomas?” You yelped, backing off of him, watching uselessly as he contorted in pain. “Thomas, what’s wrong?”

The pain ebbed slightly when Thomas stilled. He breathed slowly, closing his eyes and willing himself through the pain. He clutched at his calf, frowning deeply.

“Thomas, let me see what’s wrong.” You said, moving down to his leg. Thomas shook his head, not wanting you to see and pity him, but you were faster and more determined than him. You rolled up his pant leg, eyes widening when you saw his ankle.

Thomas glared at the ground. Well, being seen as an equal was nice while it lasted. Now he would go back to being damaged goods.

“Oh, Tommy.” You breathed, looking back at him. “You have gout.”

Thomas looked over at you, his glare faltering. He’d heard of gout before, the manager at the plant had it.

“Well, it doesn’t look too bad so far.” You scooted back over to him, giving him a careful hug, avoiding jostling him. “All you need is a little rest and some cherries.”

He raised an eyebrow at you. 

You smiled back. “My grandpa used to get gout; cherries helped calm the swelling.”

He sat back against the tree, sighing in annoyance. Not only could he not afford cherries, but he couldn’t afford to rest either. And now he wouldn’t get to make love to you because his body was breaking down.

You noticed his irritation, connecting the dots when you remembered who his family was. Slowly, a plan started to form in your head. You sat back by his side, resting your head on his shoulder and taking his hand. As you opened your mouth to tell him your plan, nervousness began to sting at your chest. If you did this, there was a good chance that you two could get caught. Especially in this dreaded town where everyone knew everyone’s business. But Thomas was in pain.

“Friday, Danny is going out of town to visit his grandparents’ house.” You said slowly, your heart beginning to race. “He’ll be gone all weekend. So, maybe you could come over? I could take care of you, and we could be together…”

His first instinct was to shake his head no. Someone take care of him? No, no no no. Thomas was good for one thing, and that was to provide. And if he spent the night, the higher chance that you would see his face. No, no. For so many reasons no.

That is, until you rested your hand on the back of his neck, gently kneading the tense muscles there. His mind stilled as you gave him a small massage, and you whispered against his ear that it would be fun, to have a house for just the two of you. 

Before he fully realized it, he nodded his head.

You smiled, continuing to rub his neck. “Come after dark on Friday, I’ll have something really nice prepared.” You kissed his cheek, smiling as he gave you a sideways glance. “Let’s just do this today.”

Your heart was still racing in fear of what could happen during that long weekend, but you felt another pang in your body. Anticipation.


	11. Bath

Danny picked up his overnight bag, throwing it over his shoulder. You hovered in the doorway, rubbing your hands together. You wanted to clean get the house ready, start cooking, but you couldn’t do that until Danny left the damn house, and he was making such slow progress that he was leaving an hour late. 

The sun would be setting soon, and then Thomas would be over. You’d already tempted fate by buying an unusual amount of fruits and vegetables when you went to the grocery store. Surely, Danny would notice if all the groceries went missing over the span of a weekend, you had figured. Of course, Danny hadn’t seemed to notice anything different when you had put the groceries away, so maybe you were just worried over nothing. 

The anxiety that had been following you around was starting to make you frazzled. You wanted Danny to leave already so you would get ready, you wanted him to leave so that he wouldn’t run into Thomas on the way out the door. You wanted to fix your hair and put on a pretty outfit and start cooking. And no matter how exited you were, you wanted this weekend to be over already so that you could breathe a sigh of relief. You wanted a normal marriage. You wanted a husband who noticed things that you did for him, a husband who invited you with him when he went to see his grandparents. You wanted a lot of things, and none of them came to you easily. 

Danny looked at the clock, his eyes widening in what you could have sworn was panic. “I’ll be back Sunday night, maybe Monday morning.” He said, glancing over at you. 

You nodded quickly, picking some old polish off your fingernail, just another thing that wouldn’t be perfect when Thomas came over. “Let me know if you’re staying over another night.”

“I will, promise.” He brushed past you, moving like he was going to kiss your cheek, but his lips didn’t come into contact with your skin before he started moving away again. He headed to the garage, opening up the door and getting into his car, suddenly in a hurry. “Love you, bye.”

You lifted your hand in a half-hearted wave, stretching your lips out in what you hoped looked like a smile. “Love you too.” 

He nodded absentmindedly, pulling out of the garage, flying down the street as if he wasn’t already an hour behind schedule. His taillights cast the road in a red glow, the sky turning orange as the night slowly crept up on you. Thomas would be there soon.

Looking down at your imperfect nails, you heaved an exasperated sigh as you closed the garage door. 

Thomas probably wouldn’t be expecting a perfect little housewife when he showed up anyway. He’d already seen you desperate, and horny, and drunk, so why bother trying to keep up the charade that you were the perfect woman? You tried every day to keep up that lie with Danny, and that obviously wasn’t working. You may as well show Thomas who the real you was.

Turning back into the house, you looked around at the life you’d made there. What kind of life was it, really? You’d bought decorations that you hadn’t quite liked because they were bought by the other women in town, so there was no trace of you in the décor of the house. Aside from sewing, you hadn’t held on to any other hobbies or interests as you tried to be what you thought Danny – and the town – wanted you to be. 

“Oh, Jesus.” You laughed to yourself, walking across the kitchen and pulling the cherries out of the crisper. You had no idea who you were. 

Pulling the strainer out from a cabinet, you dumped the cherries into it, giving them a thorough washing in warm water. Cherries were the first thing on the list of groceries you had bought that were supposed to help with gout, the others were apple cider vinegar, dandelion tea, celery, and apples. All of these things you planned on Thomas taking home with him once he left. For dinner, you had bought fish, and you were going to cook it in ginger and turmeric (both of which were supposed to help with inflammation), along with salad and steamed asparagus. 

It made you feel happy, to have the opportunity to take care of someone. A part of you hoped he would appreciate it, but a bigger part of you screamed in your mind not to expect any appreciation. 

As you dumped the clean cherries into a bowl, a tentative knock came from the front door, making you jump. You set the strainer in the sink, fiddling with your hair nervously, wishing you’d had time to freshen up. 

Hurrying to the front door, you opened it to see Thomas standing on your porch, looking about as awkward as you felt. 

“Hey.” You smiled, ushering him in. Though your house was far from other houses, you didn’t want him hovering near your front door any longer than necessary. You reached up to kiss him, before moving away and laughing, unsure of if the two of you were on a kissing ‘hello’ status. 

Thomas in a similar fashion, tried to wrap his arm around your waist but pulled his hand back to his side, instead closing the door behind him.

You smiled, wringing your hands together. “How’s your ankle?” You asked. 

He shrugged slightly, running his hand through his hair. It hurt. But he didn’t care about that. He had wiped off his face and arms with a rag, put on his nicest shirt (which, he knew by most standards wasn’t that nice), and had dragged a comb through his tangled hair. He would have showered, but the water was cut off at his house. 

He stepped inside, looking around. It was clean, a little too clean for Thomas’ liking. He preferred to have things he made and his work tools left out everywhere he had a flat surface. It felt strange to be in someone else’s home. He looked down at his grubby clothes that his mama had washed in the creek, feeling too dirty for the home.

You walked up behind him, resting your hand on his back. “I had an idea for the night, and it starts off with a nice bath.”

Thomas made a face, which luckily was obscured by the mask. If he got into a tub of water, he’d probably turn the water brown. His relationship with you already seemed too good to be true, he didn’t want to draw attention to his poor hygiene the first time he ever slept over with you.

“Why don’t you get started, and I’ll finish with the fruit bowl I was making?” You asked, pointing him to the bathroom. 

Oh, thank god. He nodded, walking to the bathroom while you made a beeline for the kitchen. 

Thomas stripped, wishing that he’d have time to clean his clothes too. He started the water, marveling at how clear it was. Obviously there was something wrong with the pipes in his house, because the water there never came out clear. Thomas stepped inside, washing himself off as fast as he could, rinsing off a layer of sweat and dirt. 

You cut up an apple, listening to the water running. Your heart was racing, but in a good way. He was here, and that was half the source of your stress! Thomas was here, and Danny was gone, and now you could enjoy yourself. 

You contemplated making the dandelion tea, but decided against it as you pushed the apple slices into the bowl. You could make tea later, when the two of you weren’t sitting in hot water.

Thomas stopped the shower now that he was clean, starting to finally fill up the tub. He sat down, sighing in relief as he got his weight off of his ankle. Resting his head on the back of the tub, he watched the mirror steam up.

You walked inside, holding the fruit bowl. You raised your eyebrow when you saw how shallow the water was. 

“I brought some fruit.” You said, pulling a small side table into the bathroom and setting it next to Thomas, setting the bowl on top. “These are supposed to help with swelling.”

Thomas nodded, picking up a cherry and eating it. He smiled a bit at the taste, it was really sweet. 

“Oh, Thomas, lift your swollen ankle up out of the tub.” You knelt by the tub, folding a towel and putting it on the edge of the tub. “Put it there.”

Thomas lifted his foot up, resting it on the towel.

“Keep it elevated, and I can get some ice for it.” You moved to stand up again, when Thomas put his hand over yours, stopping you. You paused, looking at him. “What’s wrong?”

He held your hand in his, pulling you towards the tub. 

Smiling, you looked at him. He was so hard to read, but you were getting better and better at guessing his intentions. 

“I’ll get in after I get some ice for your foot.” You said, giggling when he tugged on your wrist. “I’ll be right back!”

Thomas smiled behind his mask, holding steadfast onto your wrist. He didn’t come here just to get babied.

“Fine!” You giggled, pulling away and stripping out of your clothes, feeling your cheeks heat up from being watched by him. You let your clothes fall to the ground, carefully stepping into the tub, straddling Thomas’ hips, trying not to hurt his ankle by jostling him.

Thomas looked you up and down, taking in the sight of you. He rested his hands on your hips, running his thumbs over your stomach. 

You rested your hands on his chest, wishing he would remove his mask but knowing the two of you weren’t close enough for you to ask for such a thing. 

“I think this is going to be a really nice weekend.” You smiled, leaning down and resting your head on his shoulder.


	12. Never Would Have Guessed

Thomas silently looked you over as the two of you soaked in the tub. He rested a hand on the small of your back, still feeling as though this couldn’t truly be happening. He was aware of the size and shape of his own body, the scars on his arms and face. Despite those things, someone as beautiful as you was in his arms.

He ran his hands over the curve of your ass, earning a small breathy giggle from you. He smirked to himself, running his hands back up and over your back, feeling the vertebrae just under your skin. It was strange to think that only a couple weeks ago you were just another pretty face that he resented. That you were the prettiest woman in town, married, out of his league. Thomas never would have imagined even in his wildest dreams that you would be in his arms, spending a weekend together, taking care of each other.

His mama would probably worry, what with him being gone until Sunday, but this wouldn’t be the first time that Thomas had gone missing for a few days. Besides, he was a grown man, he was allowed to leave home if he wanted to. 

“I’m not crushing you, am I?” You mumbled into his shoulder.

Thomas almost laughed out loud. You couldn’t crush him even if you tried – he was nothing if not built sturdy. In response he just pat your back, blowing air out his nose. It was a little awkward with his foot propped up on the side of the tub, but it wasn’t totally uncomfortable.

You smiled to yourself, wrapping your arms around his torso. “I wanted to make dinner so it would be ready before you got here.”

Thomas wrapped his arms tighter around you in response.

Giggling, you lifted your head to look at him. “What? You don’t want to eat at a reasonable time?”

He smirked, lowering his hands until they were back on your ass. 

You giggled more, looking away. “Shut up.”

Thomas chuckled and squeezed your butt again, grinding up against you slightly. He had a wicked glint in his eye as he continued grinding against you, the water swishing back and forth around you two. 

Straightening up, you began to grind back, smiling down at him. You reached over to the cherry bowl, grabbing one and holding it to his lips. “Eat up.” You purred.

Thomas obediently opened his mouth, allowing you to gently push the cherry between his lips. He chewed slowly, running his hands up your chest as he did, taking in the sight of you. You were smiling down at him as if he was the only person in the world who mattered to you, your smile shifting into a more savory expression as he dragged his fingers over your nipples.

Your lips parted slightly as Thomas slowly dragged his thumbs over your nipples, his touch light. He watched your face as he touched them, starting off soft so he could work his way up from there. He wanted to know what you liked, and he had all weekend to figure out what would made you need him.

Moaning, you arched your back, continuing to grind onto him as his fingers slowly circled the hardening bud. You could feel him growing hard beneath you which only added to your growing arousal. 

Noting your body’s response to him, Thomas lightly pinched them, biting back a pleased grumble when you whimpered in pleasure. Making you feel good was so easy, and he loved every moment of it. 

You reached between your legs, grasping his cock and slowly pumping him. He groaned, pinching your nipples harder in response, but you bit back a moan, not wanting to make this too easy on him.

Thomas noticed your stubborn refusal to give him what he wanted out of you. He chuckled, lowering his hand from your chest to your clit, rolling it on his finger. You jerked, biting the inside of your lip to stay silent. You smirked at him, letting him know that this was indeed a challenge now as you started pumping him harder, grinding your pussy against his cock as well for good measure.

He smirked as he also bit back a moan, not one to back down from a challenge. He started to rub your clit harder when the phone rang.

A surprised, scared cry escaped you as you jumped, the sound of the phone nearly making your heart stop. Water spilled over the edge of the tub as you stood, your eyes wide and nausea instantly sweeping through you. 

Thomas sat up, his ankle slipping into the water as he looked up at you.

“I should get that.” You said slowly, stepping out of the tub and grabbing a towel, wrapping it around yourself and rushing to the phone. 

Your hand was still wet when you picked up the phone, holding the receiver to your ear. “Hello?” You said, relieved your voice sounded normal.

“Hey baby.” Danny’s voice came through the phone. 

“Oh, hey.” You said, leaning on the table and running your hand through your hair. “Why are you calling, is everything okay?”

“You said to call when I made it here.” His voice sounded strained, as if he was a little out of breath. 

“Oh, r-!” Your words were cut off as you clamped your hand down over your mouth to muffle the surprised cry that came from you as Thomas grabbed your hips as slipped his cock into you. 

“Something wrong?” Danny asked.

Thomas started slowly thrusting into you, his fingers digging into your hips to hold you in place as he began picking up speed, not giving you much time to adjust to his girth suddenly inside of you. 

You swallowed, putting your hand over the phone for a moment as you shot Thomas a glare. He gave you a single hard thrust, his eyes squinting mischievously.

Collecting yourself as best you could, you took a deep breath and put your mouth bad up to the phone. “Sorry. A moth surprised me.”

Danny chuckled. “A moth? Can you really not go a weekend without me?”

Thomas pressed his hand against your back, gently pushing you down until your chest was on the table, and with his next movement jerking the towel off your naked body.

Slowly rocking your hips back into his, you felt your face flushing in arousal as you realized how dirty this was. You were getting fucked while on the phone with your husband.

“I-I guess I just need you.” You breathed, reaching between your legs and rubbing your clit as Thomas’ dick spread you in all the right ways. You had to cover the phone when Thomas chuckled darkly behind you, both of you amused by the blatant lie you just told. 

“Well, try not to get in too much trouble. I think I won’t be back until Monday morning.” Danny said, an odd sound coming from his side of the phone that you couldn’t quite place. 

You covered the receiver again and yelped as Thomas flipped you over on the table, thrusting into you harder and deeper, his thumb circling your clit as he fucked you mercilessly. He wanted you to slip up. He wanted Danny to know that someone else was taking care of you, and better than Danny ever had. 

Whimpering softly, you took a breath before uncovering the phone. “I have to go, I think something is burning, have fun with your grandparents’!” You hung up without a reply, letting out the strangled moan you’d been holding back. “Thomas, you brat!”

Thomas chuckled breathily, leaning over you and kissing you roughly as he fucked you on the kitchen table, his chest swelling with pride and arousal as he felt you tightening around him. He could tell by how honest your body was that you were just as turned on as he was. 

“Thom-. Thom-. Tommy!” You tugged at his hair and you bucked you hips into his hand, feeling the edge creeping up on you the more you thought about what had just transpired. What sent you over the edge was when Thomas wrapped his lips around your nipple, nipping and biting as he moved into you mercilessly. 

You bit your lip, your scream muffled through your teeth as you came on him, your body tensing as your legs wrapped around his hips, tugging on his hair. Thomas groaned around you, still rubbing your clit, wanting with everything he had to finish inside of you. The feeling of you cumming on his cock only made that want harder to ignore, but with every last shred of willpower he had he pulled out of you, jerking himself off over your stomach, finishing on your chest and face.

You gasped and flinched slightly as his cum hit you, giggling in embarrassment. 

“And I just took a bath too.” You joked, slowly pushing yourself up into sitting position. 

Thomas grinned at the sight, pulling you into his arms. You lightly slapped his chest, obviously trying not to smile and failing. 

“That was dangerous, and you’re supposed to stay off that foot.” You scolded uselessly as Thomas walked back to the bathroom, setting you on the edge of the tub. You popped a cherry into your mouth before grabbing a face rag, dipping it into the tub and cleaning yourself off. 

Thomas pulled his clothes back on, still grinning to himself. He hoped Danny would call again soon. That was fun.


	13. What Are We

He watched your back as you stood over the stove. Your ears were still red with residual embarrassment from the phone call, but Thomas felt nothing but pride. You looked adorable when you were flustered. 

His foot was propped up on one of the chairs, a pillow under his ankle. He leaned back, watching you move around the kitchen, going from preparing dinner to making tea. The bowl of cherries was in front of him, and he would occasionally grab one and eat it while watching you. 

Finally you turned and handed him a coffee cup, a teabag inside it. “Here’s some dandelion tea.” You said, placing a quick kiss on his forehead before turning back to your task. 

Thomas smiled to himself, holding the cup and blowing on the hot liquid. It felt like he lived here. 

“Just as a warning, that won’t taste very good.” You called over your shoulder. “But it will help.”

Thomas nodded though he knew you couldn’t see it. He took a small sip of the tea, wrinkling his nose in disgust. You were right, it tasted awful. Holding his breath, he continued taking tiny sips, not finding the taste any better.

You glanced over your shoulder and smiled to yourself at his reaction before turning back to your cooking. 

“Do you mind if I talk?” You asked suddenly. 

Thomas raised an eyebrow, shaking his head that no, he didn’t mind. You smiled nervously, shrugging a bit at his incredulousness.

“Sorry, I guess I don’t really know if you, well, if you care about listening to me complain about my day.” You explained. “Because this could be just sex, you know, if you want it to be just sex, I don’t want to bore you.” There. You had managed to come up with the most round about way in the world to ask him what this relationship was supposed to be. “And if it is just sex that’s fine, it doesn’t have to be anything else. But if it’s more than sex, that’s fine.”

Oh my god, someone come in here and kill me. I managed to use the word sex about ten times in one breath. You squeezed your eyes shut, mentally kicking yourself over and over.

Thomas stopped mid sip to stare at your back. He hadn’t really thought about it. Throughout all of this he had pretty much taken things as they’d come. Besides, you were asking as if it was his choice what the two of you did together – obviously you were the one with the real power here, he was only here because it had been your idea. 

He frowned in thought. If he wanted, this could be a relationship. But, wasn’t everything the two of you had been doing what a relationship was? You had sex, you bathed together, and now you were taking care of him because his ankle was hurt. Hell, you were cooking for him. Wasn’t all of that what it meant?

“Sorry.” You said suddenly, putting the fish in the oven. “Sorry, I just-. Sorry.”

Shaking his head, Thomas grabbed your arm once you were done with the oven, pulling you over his lap. You wrapped your arms around his neck, looking away in embarrassment at your own words. He placed a hand on your upper chest, slowly moving his fingers over the bones just under your skin. 

Sighing softly, you rested your head in the crook of his neck, feeling his still-damp hair against your skin. He moved his hand to your arm, slowly moving it up and down. He was really warm. 

Thomas nodded, making you pull away from him so you could see his face.

“Yes?” You asked. He nodded again. “Yes to what?”

His hand moved from your arm to the back of your neck, gently holding you in place as he kissed you deeply on the mouth. Sighing softly, you held him closer as you kissed him back, realizing that this innocent kiss was his answer. 

Pulling back, you grinned. “Really?”

Thomas rolled his eyes and kissed you again, deeper this time. For the life of him, he couldn’t understand why someone as beautiful as you was begging for sex and affection when you didn’t need to. He tangled his fingers in your hair as he pulled back, pecking you on the lips a couple of times, making you giggle.

“So I can talk about my day?” You laughed, patting his chest and turning your head away from him.

He nodded, wishing he could shake you and ask who had made you like this. But he couldn’t do that without scaring you, so he settled on lightly swatting your butt and letting you off his lap.

“Thomas!” You laughed, turning so your butt was against the counter. “How dare you!” He would have worried about your reaction except for the fact that you were smiling. You kept your rear away from him, still giggling. “I’ll get you back for that.”

Thomas just smirked at that, grabbing another cherry and popping it in his mouth. He’d be looking forward to it.


	14. Talk Too Much

When you told Thomas that you had things you wanted to talk about, he quickly realized just how many words you’d had in that little body of yours that you’d been pushing down. The moment he’d basically given you permission to talk the floodgates had opened, and you’d started talking so much and so fast Thomas began to get worried that you might swallow your tongue. 

He rested his head in his hand, sipping his disgusting tea as you started rambling. He’d nod when you looked back at him, and your face would light up when you realized he was actually listening. And he was really listening. No one ever talked to him this much. And aside form that, he had no idea just how many thoughts you had. Thomas had always figured someone as beautiful as you didn’t need to think that much, but as it turned out you thought enough for several people. 

Occasionally, you’d take a break from cutting vegetables and preparing them to lift up your hands and start waving them around, turning to Thomas with an excited glint in your eye as you made a point. He’d never seen you looking so happy as he did when you hands were shaking, bouncing on the balls of your feet, and your cheeks were flushed from talking too much in one breath. 

He couldn’t altogether keep up with what you were saying, but he felt himself smiling at you. The topic had started off with that woman Thomas knew plenty about, Carol, who had apparently embarrassed you the week before. He remembered Carol from school. Mean and rich and the most beautiful girl in town for many years. Until you came along, that is.

He smirked to himself when he thought about it. No wonder Carol had it out for you. She and your husband had been high school sweethearts, until Danny had gone off to college and met you. Not to mention, you were better than her in every way – Thomas remembered the chatter in the packaging plant when Danny had first brought you home. You were all those men could talk about. 

On some level, he was glad you pissed Carol off so much. Thomas hated her. She had been one of the worst bullies in school, regardless of her gender. In very much the same way Thomas had felt proud when he came you cum on the phone when you were talking to your husband, it made him proud that you pissed off Carol so much. 

'That’s my girl.' He thought to himself, eating more pieces of fruit.

Shortly after you’d finished ranting about Carol you’d switched to other topics, each one coming and going as fast as the one before. 

“God, I wanted to learn so much when I went to college!” You inhaled sharply, needing to get the thoughts out before he finally got sick of your talking. “I wanted to learn everything there was to learn! I didn’t want a degree I wanted to take every class there was to take!” You pulled the fish out of the over, your brain making another connection as you did. “Do you know how many types of fish there are? No one knows! Because there are so many and the ocean is so deep, plus there are freshwater rivers all over the world with different types of fish in them, and who knows which ones we do know about that don’t even exist anymore because of overfishing, you know?”

You set the fish on the stovetop, getting out a couple of plates. “How do you even learn about something like that, though? Besides, I only got to take a few gen eds before Danny married me and we moved here. I didn’t even finish one degree, much less take every class they had to offer.”

Plating the fish and asparagus, you tossed the salad as well, covering it in vinaigrette. You turned to the table, setting Thomas’ plate in front of him and an empty bowl for the salad. “I wish I had stayed, honestly. But, dad always said that college was to get an M.R.S. degree.” Shrugging, you set down the salad bowl and your own plate, sitting across from Thomas. “I know people don’t expect me to be smart.”

Thomas popped another cherry into his mouth, suddenly feeling very guilty for ever thinking of you as shallow. How was he supposed to know how much you had going on inside you?

“Oh my god, the ice!” You snapped, standing. “I can’t believe I forgot the ice!” You grabbed some frozen peas from the freezer, wrapping them up in a hand towel. “I’m so stupid, I can’t believe I forgot to ice your ankle!” You knelt down by Thomas, carefully setting the wrapped-up peas on his ankle. “Jeez.”

Well, Thomas knew now. 

He rested his hand on your shoulder, distracting you from your self-deprecating rambling. You looked up at him, letting out an airy laugh. 

“Sorry, I’ve been talking non-stop, huh?” You said, rising. “I can stop, I just, I guess I had a lot pent up.”

Thomas shook his head, cupping the back of your neck. You smiled and closed your eyes, relaxing against his touch. His thumb ran back and forth against your skin, soothing your nervousness. 

You opened your eyes, looking up his arm. It was so muscular, and tanned from the sun. He could easily pick you up with one arm if the wanted to. He had scars, which were highlighted against his tanned skin. 

“I think we’re a lot alike.” You mumbled, running your hands up and down his arm, feeling the muscles under his skin, the raised bumps from the scars, and the soft tickle of his arm hair. “Isn’t that funny?”

He nodded, enjoying the feeling of you touching him so gently. All his life he was the muscle, the brute force, the physical labor. You helped make him feel like more than just a tool for other people to use. 

You needed him, but not in the same way his family needed him, or how work needed him. Yes, you used his body for sex, but he used yours for the same thing, so even in that regard you two gave and took equally in a way Thomas had never experienced before. 

The way you needed him wasn’t just physical. You used him for comfort, for someone to listen to. You used him as someone desperately in need of a friend; and by coincidence, Thomas needed one too. 

Your eyes lit up with a thought, a grin spreading across your face. “Can we go fishing someday?”

Chuckling, Thomas pulled you to him, kissing you softly. You kissed him back only for a moment, pulling away from his touch.

“Eat while it’s hot.” You smiled, sitting back in your chair.

Thomas smiled to himself, looking at the spread you had made just for him. Thomas had never seen that many vegetables on a kitchen table in his life. You started putting salad in his bowl, and Thomas began to eat his fish, amazed at how other people could afford greens like this. 

“Be sure to eat a lot, the more fruits and veggies you eat the better your ankle will heal up.” You said in a motherly manner, making Thomas want to laugh. 

He continued to eat through the hole in his mask, savoring your cooking and the first vegetables he had eaten in he couldn’t remember how long.


	15. Bedtime

You stood in front of the mirror, brushing your teeth in just your underwear. After dinner you’d continued talking Thomas’ ear off while he sipped his tea until you noticed how late it had gotten. You’d pointed him in the direction of the bedroom while you went to the bathroom to get ready for bed. 

It was strange, the giddiness from sneaking Thomas into the house had all but worn off, but in its place was a strange kind of serene feeling. Kind of like familiarity. Even though he couldn’t speak, he managed to always reassure you whenever you were scared you were being annoying or clingy. 

Spitting the toothpaste into the sink, you straightened up, brushing some hair back that had fallen out of place. You smiled at your reflection, trying to see yourself for the first time, see yourself how Thomas might see you. The smile faded as you dried off your face, quickly disregarding the thought. He obviously liked how you looked. 

‘I don’t have to be insecure right now. He wants me.’ You thought to yourself, a real smile spreading across your face as you realized that this would be the first night that you slept with Thomas. Well, sleep sleep, anyway. 

Meanwhile, Thomas had stripped down to his underwear and was sitting on your bed. You’d told him to elevate his foot, but he was too nervous to lie down. Sex was one thing, one awesome, amazing thing, but sleeping in this bed, in your house, that was a little more nerve wracking. 

Thomas wasn’t afraid of Danny. What he was afraid of was what kind of angry mob Danny could pull together if the two of you were ever found out. Danny was one of the more popular people in town, it wouldn’t be hard for him to create a witch hunt of epic proportions. 

He physically shook his head to clear the thought away. He’d worried enough about that. He’d heard himself over the phone that Danny wouldn’t be back until possibly Monday morning. You were al his, and Thomas was going to treat you as such. 

He looked up as you walked into the room, smiling at the sight of you. Your underwear, for once, wasn’t matching. He liked that, it made you seem more human. 

“I told you to lie down, Tommy.” You smiled, walking over to him. He just nodded, wrapping his arms around your waist and burying his face in your chest. Another reason he hadn’t lied down was because he wasn’t sure which side of the bed is yours. 

You kissed his forehead before breaking away from his hold, crawling into your side of the bed and getting snug under the covers. Thomas slowly followed suit, getting into the other side but pushing the comforter over to your side of the bed, only getting under the covers. He always ran hot at night and he didn’t want you waking up to a big sweaty mess. 

Turning to him, you reached out and gently grabbed his hand. He held yours back, pulling your hand to his mouth and kissing your knuckles. Your bed was really soft. And it smelled nice. He wondered if you’d washed them before he came over. 

“Do you sleep with that on?” You mumbled, moving closer to him.

He nodded, though it was a lie. He didn’t sleep with it on at home, but he wasn’t about to show you his face tonight. So he would make do. 

You nodded, getting closer and resting your head on his chest. “Okay.”

Thomas rested his chin on your head, wrapping his arms around you. He breathed in the scent of you, felt your warmth against his skin. He felt at home. 

“Goodnight, Thomas.” You whispered, your cheek squished up against his chest. You made a move to back away, figuring that like Danny did, he wouldn’t want to cuddle while he was trying to get to sleep. But Thomas held on firm, not giving you the chance to squirm away. 

Giggling, you squished your face even more into his chest, wrapping your arms around him too. You heard him sigh softly, and felt his body relax. He kissed your forehead again before he rested his head back on his pillow, closing his eyes and trying to sleep despite the pounding in his chest. And you did the same.


	16. Breakfast

The feeling you woke up to wasn’t a feeling you were used to anymore. It was the feeling of warmth, maybe even a little too warm, and a little too sweaty, but also comforting. Skin on your skin, hair that wasn’t yours tickling your shoulder, the sound of soft breathing. Weight on your chest.

Opening your eyes slightly, it took you a second to remember what chain of events had lead to this moment. For one very confusing moment you thought that Danny was in bed with you, cuddling you. You brushed that thought out of your brain fairly quickly, seeing as the two of you never cuddled in your sleep before. Lifting your head, you looked over to see Thomas asleep by your side, breathing deeply and evenly.

His mask had slipped off in his sleep. Not completely, but just enough to show the hole where his nose was supposed to be. You wanted to adjust it for him, but you didn’t want to risk waking him up. He was asleep on his stomach, his arm spread out over your chest, his fingers lightly wrapped around your arm. His head rested on your shoulder, his hair spread out over your skin. 

Your skin was sweaty where he was touching you, and his body radiated heat like a campfire. It was a little uncomfortable, but in the kind of way that only something like cuddling could be. The kind of uncomfortable that you could disregard because of the joy the activity was bringing you. 

You shifted carefully, trying not to rise him, stopping when he stirred. Thomas’ hand slowly slid up your arm to your shoulder, until his hand was cupping the crook of you neck, his thumb lazily moving up and down your skin. He breathed out slowly, burying what passed for his nose into your shoulder, and it made you flustered when you realized he was breathing in your scent. 

Thomas sighed again, lifting his head and finally opening up his eyes. He looked confused to see you for only a moment, before he too remembered where he was and who he was with. He gently cupped your head, moving to kiss your cheek. He stopped when he felt his lips hit the leather of his mask and not the softness of your skin.

His eyes widened, and he slapped his hand over his nose, using the other to readjust the mask. He sat up and turned away, feeling around his mask to make sure that it was still tied in the back.

You sat up with him, pressing your chest into his back and hugging him, making him stop his inspection of his mask.

“Good morning.” You hummed quietly, deciding to ignore what had just transpired instead of trying to convince him that you hadn’t seen anything. You ran your hands over his chest, placing a trail of kisses up his back to his shoulder. His body relaxed a bit at your touch, and you smiled to yourself. “Are you hungry? Is there anything in particular you want for breakfast?”

Thomas put his hands over yours, lightly running his fingers over the backs of your hands. He was still full from last night, if he was being honest with himself. He wasn’t used to having this much food to his disposal. But if his family taught him anything, it was to never turn down free food. 

He made a move to turn back to face you, but your arms held him securely in place, bringing a thin smile to his lips. This was another thing he wasn’t used to. He brought one of your hands to his lips, giving it a light peck, the motion seeming as natural to him as breathing. It still amazed him how you treated him like he wasn’t the sturdiest man in the state. Being pampered and babied felt nice, physically and even emotionally in a way he couldn’t quite place.

Your hands traveled back behind his back, settling on his shoulders and gently squeezing. Thomas groaned softly as you kneaded his muscles there. Why the hell did men at work complain about their wives all the time? If Thomas got this kind of treatment, he’d worship the ground his wife walked on. 

The two of you stayed like that for a while, you rubbing his back while Thomas made quiet groans that he attempted to muffle. 

You stopped, resting your chin on his shoulder and hugging him again. Your hands were a little sore, but you didn’t mind it too much. Especially when he playfully bonked his head on yours, making you giggle.

“Breakfast?” You asked again.

He untangled himself from your arms, turning to face you. All during the massage, the term ‘worship the ground his wife walked on’ had been knocking around in his head. You weren’t his wife, true, and yes, you probably never would be. But you were the one he was with now, and you were the one taking care of him. 

Thomas rested his hands on your shoulders, slowly pushing you back into the pillows. You giggled and looked up at him, your smile making his heart twist painfully. This was what Thomas wanted every morning. The sight of you, happy and surrounded by blankets and pillows with the first rays of the morning sun creeping in through the window. A sight that was just meant for him and him alone. 

He leaned down, kissing you deeply. You giggled more against his lips, making him smile as well as you wrapped your arms around his neck in an attempt to pull him closer. But Thomas was bigger and stronger than you, and pulled away from you with ease. He smirked down at the slight pout that formed on your face when he broke the kiss before leaning down, kissing your chest. He slowly trailed kisses down your tummy until he got you’re your underwear, slipping them off you with his finger. 

You propped yourself up on your elbows, smiling slightly as you realized what it was he was doing. “Breakfast?”

He chuckled, slowly licking your clit, staring up at you with those wonderful blue eyes. Breakfast.


	17. Kids

Humming floated through the kitchen. You didn’t realize you were doing it until you’d gotten to a point in the song you weren’t sure of. Giggling, you rested your head on Thomas’ shoulder, trying to remember how the rest of the song went. 

Beneath you, Thomas stirred slightly, the lack of humming snapping him out of his relaxed stupor. He ran his hand along the length of your arm, feeling the softness of your skin. His stomach was so full he felt like he was about to burst. First there was a whole dinner last night, and then another full meal for breakfast. 

He smiled to himself, glancing at the bowl of cut up fruit you’d set on the coffee table in front of him. If he managed to make a habit out of coming here, he would become very spoiled. Between you looking after his ankle, the back massages, sex, and food, Thomas could quickly become used to a lot of things that he wouldn’t normally have access to. Especially if you continued to insist on feeding him so much. 

Mama always did say that a big guy like him needed a lot of food, but of course Thomas often went without when supplies were low. He’d deal with having a few stomach cramps from hunger if it kept the older family members fed. 

You started humming again, starting up on a new song. Thomas could feel how relaxed your body was against his. People always tensed whenever he was around. They thought he was too big, too scary, too stupid and unpredictable, as if he would attack someone without reason. But you were completely open with him. Another thing he knew he probably shouldn’t get used to.

“Would you want to go out of town with me?” You murmured against his shirt, sleepy even though you’d only been awake for a few hours. Though your body was tired, your mind was racing with possibilities that you’d felt were closed from you just a day earlier. “I kind of want to find the nearest college and see how much it would take me to finish my degree. Or just find a library and check out a book about something.” 

Thomas furrowed his brow, looking down at you. Leaving the house at all would be a bad idea. You looked up at him, the serene expression leaving your face as you also realized how risky it would be to leave the protection and privacy of your home. That, and another reason.

“Danny has the car.” You laughed, shaking your head. “I can’t believe I forgot that.”

Thomas lightly bonked his forehead against yours, making you giggle.

“Sorry. I guess I’m just feeling really – god, what’s the right word – brave right now?” You smiled, kissing his cheek as you wrapped your arms around his neck, keeping his face close to yours. Your smile widened when he pulled you closer by your waist, your chest swelling with joy at such an affectionate gesture. “I kind of feel like I could change my whole life right now, like I finally kind of know what I want to change.”

Thomas watched you as you started looking around, feeling your body start to jiggle as you began to shake your foot. He pulled back, eyeing your shaking foot. It reminded him of a dog wagging its tail. 

You lightly bit your thumbnail, your foot shaking without you even being aware of it. “I want to make a list.”

Slipping off of Thomas’ lap, you hurried around, grabbing a pencil and a notebook, falling to your knees in front of the coffee table and frantically scribbling down all your thoughts. Thomas crossed his arms, watching you write so fast that your writing barely looked like writing. 

Degree – learning – sex life – travel – collect books – collect something cool – move out of this town – write something someday? – learn a new craft – kids 

You paused after you wrote ‘kids,’ staring down at the paper. Kids. That was something you did like the idea of, someday. But as you stared down at your list, of everything you wanted to try, you realized that there was something wrong. Not with the list itself, but with how you pictured accomplishing the things on your list. You couldn’t picture a life like this with Danny. 

Leaning back, the bravery you’d just been feeling started to diminish, you glanced up at Thomas. The man you were having an affair with. It felt odd to use that word, no matter how accurate it was. You never thought you’d be the type to cheat, yet here you were. 

He looked back at you, sensing your shift in energy. You seemed to hop from one emotion to another pretty easily.

“What do you want in the future, Thomas?” You asked, sliding the notebook across the table towards him. “You should make a list too.”

Thomas grabbed the notebook, looking at your short list. He wasn’t that great at reading and writing on a good day, but adding your bad handwriting on top of that and he had no idea what it was you’d written down. He tried his best to sound out the words in his head like his mama had tried to teach him, but he was just too out of practice. 

He looked at the shortest word on the list, trying to read that one. ‘Kids.’ It was a little more than a scribble, but he could read that at least. Picking up his pencil, he circled that word, handing the notebook back to you. 

Thomas had always wanted a family, but aside from his complete lack of romantic relationships, he feared that his theoretical children would inherit his skin disease. But, in a perfect world, he’d have a whole litter of kids with someone as beautiful as you, and love them all as much as he could every day of his life. 

You looked down at the circle, smiling to yourself. “You want kids too, Tommy?”

He nodded.

“I think I’m going to add something new to this list.” You looked at him, setting the notebook down. “I want to lean sign language, and I want to show you how to read and write. I want to know more about you, and gestures can only take us so far.”

Thomas leaned forward, gently petting your hair. He would love that.


	18. Loving

His tongue traced your lips for only a moment before it invaded your mouth, moving and tasting every bit of you that he could reach. You moaned and mewled into his mouth as you bounced up and down on his length, your arms wrapped securely around his neck. Your fingers tangled in his hair, lighting tugging; making sure you weren’t pulling it hard enough to make it hurt. His growls of approval let you know that you were doing everything right, and the wetness between your legs signaled the same thing to him. 

Pulling away from him slightly, you rested your forehead on his, pressing your lips together to muffle your sounds. Thomas’ hands went from your hips to your cheeks as he cupped your face, his face contorting in pleasure as he looked you in the eyes.

“Your eyes are so beautiful.” You whimpered, putting your hands over his. His eyes widened a bit at the compliment, his mouth opening slightly before he closed it again, just accepting the compliment. No part of him had ever been called beautiful before.

He looked you up and down, your foreheads still touching as you moved together. You were beautiful too. Not just outwardly. It almost seemed like a hazy dream, the days before he knew you. When he thought you were just a pretty face with nothing behind it. He loved your ramblings, your interests, he wanted you to get everything you could ever want. Thomas wanted to provide you everything you could ever want. 

Your chest swelled as he moved his hands back down to your sides, pulling you into a tight hug as you continued moving against him. He felt so secure, so safe. What had people not seen in him when he was growing up? Couldn’t they see past his face? He was loyal, and loving. 

You paused only for a moment when you thought of the word ‘loving,’ causing Thomas to stop moving as well, instantly worried that he’d somehow hurt you. Smiling to reassure him, you gently cupped his cheek, wishing he’d take off the mask. Loving. The swelling feeling in your chest. Maybe it was-.

Both of you froze when you heard the garage door start to open.

Thomas was the first to react, all those years of avoiding bullies making his reflexes sharper than most. He shot up, accidentally making you tumble backwards onto the bed as he did. You bit your cheek and shrieked, listening the door click as it raised to the top. 

“Thomas, out the back door - no, wait, if he comes in, he’ll see you!” You scrambled to throw on your robe as Thomas jumped into his pants, his eyes wide in fear. You rushed to the bedroom door, looking out into the house. “I’ll meet him in the garage, you run out the back!”

Thomas nodded as you raced out of the bedroom, throwing open the door to the garage and jumping out. “Danny!”

Danny looked you as he stepped out of the car, his eyebrow raising in surprise. “Hey, you’re usually not this excited to see me. And, what’s with…” he lazily pointed at your ensemble. “That.”

You tried to grapple for any semblance of composure, begging to any god that would listen that you looked mildly presentable. You hadn’t done your makeup that morning because you figured that Thomas wouldn’t mind, and your hair was probably a mixture of bedhead and sex hair. You didn’t even want to think about what the situation on your legs might be. You’d been so wet, you could only pray that your thighs were dry. But none of that would matter if you couldn’t keep Danny outside long enough to Thomas to escape out the back.

“I just missed you.” You lied, pressing your back against the door. “I thought you weren’t going to be home until Monday morning?”

“I decided to come home a day early.” Danny walked over, looking you up and down. You felt like a bug under a microscope, but you tried your best not to squirm under his gaze. “Are you sick? You look tired.”

Pausing for a minute, you strained to hear any sounds that Thomas might still be in the house. Had he brought anything that might be left behind? You couldn’t remember. “Yeah, I was feeling kind of sick, I’ve just been in bed all day.” Technically, the being in bed all day part wasn’t a lie.

Danny nodded slightly, reaching past you for the doorknob. “I see.”

You held you breath as you scooted out of the way, letting him inside. Peeking over his shoulder, your body relaxed when you saw the house was empty. Danny walked inside, plopping his overnight bag down on the couch. “Well, go lie down if you need to.”

“Thanks, I might.” You closed the garage door, looking around for anything that might indicate that Thomas had just been here. Danny sauntered over to the fridge, opening it up to grab a beer that wouldn’t be there. Because you hadn’t bought any while he was out.

“Why is there no beer but so much fucking fruit?” Danny called over his shoulder.

Oh, damn. The fruit. And all the rest of the food that Thomas was supposed to take home with him. Well, it was odd but not suspicious at the very least.

“I forgot.” You said simply, making a beeline for the bedroom and opening up the window to get the smell of sex out of the room, and then heading to the shower to clean yourself off.


	19. If He Were Smarter

Danny wasn’t particularly observant even on a good day. Why would he be? Everything in his life had either been handed to him or pointed out to him - though if that was ever pointed out to him, he would deny it. Due to him being who he was, being observant was never high on his list of things he needed to do to survive. He was handsome, he was a man, he was popular, he was privileged in every sense of the word.

He especially never felt the need to be observant in his own home. Why would he be? Any and all household chores were your responsibility, your burden to notice when something was dirty or needed putting away. Home was a place to sleep and eat, and that was the end of it. He only took notice of something when it inconvenienced him.

The lack of beer was an inconvenience, that was for sure. And because that was irritating to him, the over abundance of fruit started to rub him the wrong way as well. Danny didn’t even like fruit unless it was in a pie. 

He plopped down on the sofa, irritation prickling at his skin. He almost thought about sending you off to the store to get more beer before remembering you mentioned you felt sick. Great, he just got home and he’d have to go back out again if he wanted to get his beer. 

Danny put his feet on the coffee table in his childish version of revenge for your negligence in keeping the peace in the home, his foot landing on a notebook. The dirt on the bottom of his shoe scuffed the white paper, giving him some slight satisfaction that he’d gotten something of yours dirty. It had been a stressful weekend, after all, it wasn’t like it was too much for him to want to come home to a fully stocked fridge.

Leaning forward, he grabbed the notebook out from under his foot, crumpling the paper in the process. He moved to toss the notebook across the room towards the drawer he figured it might have come from, when his previously unexercised observation muscle kicked in from having to use it in such rapid succession since he came home. And he looked at the paper first.

A list. A list of mostly random things, things he wouldn’t have put together on the same list. Learning, sex life, kids, stuff like that. He bristled at the sight of ‘sex life’ written in your handwriting, but what made him bristle even more was the sight of ‘kids,’ circled. Something about the circle around ‘kids’ seemed off to him. Who would circle something on their own list?

He stared at it. And he stared at it a little longer, his brain straining to connect this series of oddities that had started from the moment he got home. You coming to greet him, the lack of beer, the fruit, this list, and the circle. Luckily for you, while his observance was an unused trait in Danny’s mind, the part of his brain that someone with a harsher life might have had – the part of the brain that makes connections based on patterns to help better self-preserve – was all but rotten. And he got bored of staring at the circle. And he threw the notebook as he had originally intended, deciding to watch TV instead of going on a beer run.

If he were a smarter man, or a more suspicious man, he might have noticed that the circle that had been drawn around ‘kids’ was darker, the imprint of it deeper than the rest of the things that had been written down. Because it had been drawn by someone unused to the feeling of holding a pen. If he were smarter he might have realized that the only need for someone to circle something on a list was if they couldn’t communicate in other ways what it was they wanted. Someone who couldn’t talk, perhaps.

Luckily for you, Danny wasn’t versed in the art of expecting to be betrayed, and he started focusing on all that had happened to him that weekend instead of stopping to consider how it might have gone for you.


	20. Not Special

It was a map. Or rather, it was a pamphlet you’d gotten from the gas station that had a map in it. It had been for the passers-by who were trying to go somewhere better but had gotten lost in your little town, but its purpose was serving you well enough. 

The map was small, because the pamphlet didn’t fold out into a bigger map, and the few things that were on it were leaning towards tourism and less towards colleges and schools. That figured, most people in this town weren’t the kind of people who went to college. Most people who were born here would die here. You were the outlier. 

Everyone was having a fine time ignoring you as you looked over the map of what was mostly just tourist attractions. You held the pamphlet in one hand and wine in the other, ignoring the chatter of the others. Surely, there was something here that would pique your interest. 

Running your thumb up and down the side of the pamphlet absentmindedly, you squinted your eyes, trying to read the tiny print of the pamphlet when an uproar pulled you out of your hunt.

“Oh my god, I can’t believe it, congratulations!” 

You placed the pamphlet down, blinking to refocus your eyes to see the entire room of women in an uproar, with Carol in the center, her face stretched out into a self-important smile. 

“I was wondering why you weren’t drinking!”

“How far along? How far along?”

“Do you want a boy or girl next?”

“Oh goodness ladies, you all hush up now.” Carol waved everyone off, practically glowing from all the attention. “Only a few weeks, but I just couldn’t hold it in anymore!”

The ladies stood up from their seats, all of them taking turns hugging Carol and putting their hands on her stomach. 

Oh, guess she’s pregnant. You thought vaguely, taking a sip of your drink and picking the pamphlet back up. Wait, in the corner of the map, the letters had been typed so small that the ink had bled together making words nearly unreadable. But you focused, bringing the pamphlet closer to your face. 

Gulf Aquarium. 

An aquarium! You grinned to yourself. An aquarium! You hadn’t even known that there was one nearby. Well, not that nearby, it was a little far, but Danny could do without the car for one weekend, right? You could go see the fish!

Your mind started to race with happy thoughts you were almost afraid to hope for. Maybe while you were out at the aquarium, you could search for a library or a college. Danny probably wouldn’t like the idea of you finishing your degree, but if you took the car while he was at work and brought it back before his workday ended, he’d never have to know. 

A jovial, bubbly feeling rose in your chest as you pictured the life you were trying to plan out. This could happen. This could work!

“Aren’t you going to congratulate me?”

You tore your eyes from the map to see Carol standing in front of you, her hands on her hips. Her eyebrow was cocked, her expression bordering on annoyed. You realized a minute too late that she had wanted attention from everyone in the room, even you.

“I’m really happy for you.” You smiled and nodded, moving to tuck the pamphlet between your thigh and the couch.

“What are you looking at, anyway?” Carol snatched it from you before you could hide it away, turning it over in her hands, her frown going deeper. “A tourism brochure? Seriously? We’re trying to socialize and you’re planning a vacation?”

“Well, yeah.” You said, wishing that she would stand anywhere except for directly in front of you.

She rolled her eyes and put it on the coffee table behind her. “There’s more important things in life.”

You were so tired of people ruining your fleeting moments of hope.

“I’m sure there is.” You stood up, forcing Carol to back away from you at the risk of being nose to nose with you. “But the fact that you got pregnant doesn’t mean you’re special, and you can’t even stand the two kids you already have, or your husband. So I don’t know why you’ll magically love a third kid when you neglect your first two.”

A silence fell through the room, everyone stared at you shell shocked, comprehending what you just said. Carol’s face contorted in rage as you brushed past her, not bothering to pick up your pamphlet.

“Bye ladies. Congrats, Carol.” The moment you were out of their line of vision you broke out into a sprint, bursting out of the house like the devil was after you as you heard Carol start screaming in rage. 

Oh, you were getting a little too ballsy for your own good.


	21. Something Stupid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> tw: mentions of abuse, fighting

You’d never been hit before. You’d seen people get hit, at a party or on accident or on TV. It never really looked like it hurt that much on TV. It was usually for comedic purposes, and the person who got hit would usually bounce back like nothing happened.

It was a slap, really. Not that that was much better. It stung and it hurt and it almost took you a moment to realize that it hurt because the surprise was really what hit you first. And only then did your body seem to register that, oh yeah, that hurt. 

You leaned on the couch, your hand on your cheek. Your cheek felt like a staticky television, and tears pricked at your eyes before you realized that they were there. 

Danny was still yelling. Yelling about something. If the slap had been to get you to pay attention, it had caused the opposite effect. You knew the jist of what it was he was yelling about, because the argument had started thirty minutes before this point in time. About you. About your behavior lately. About how you had embarrassed Danny by talking back to Carol in front of all of his friend’s wives. About how already, the whole town was talking about how Danny couldn’t control his own wife. About how you were just supposed to sit there and be pleasant and be pretty, and about how you were barely doing a good job of even that anymore.

Something along those lines. Something about how, somehow, you were the one who wasn’t performing well enough in this relationship. 

He kept yelling, even though you’d stopped the moment he raised a hand to you. It was just his voice, filling up the whole house and saying things that were supposed to hurt you. And it did hurt you. Even though there was a part of you that was already off and living the life you wanted, the louder, more scared side of you had resolved itself to always being here, with the man you’d for some reason decided to marry. And it was that side of you that heard every insult and it was that side that hurt even though at this point all he was using to hurt was words.

Eventually, you heard him say something about going out for drinks. You watched as he grabbed the car keys and stormed out of the house. You heard the garage open. You heard the car pull away, and then all you heard was the sound of your own sniveling.

Walking to the bathroom, you looked at yourself in the mirror, fixing your makeup absentmindedly. Wipe away the mascara that was running down your cheeks. Your cheek was red, you moved to put foundation over it to find that it was still too raw to touch. Besides, you were still crying. Huh. You hadn’t realized that you were still crying. Well, you couldn’t fix anything on your cheeks if they were just going to get wet. 

Taking a deep, shuddering breath, you fanned your eyes before putting on a little more mascara to replace what you had cried off. You were still crying, but you couldn’t bear to be without mascara right now. It made you pretty. That was the whole reason you were ever brought to this godforsaken town, right? Because you were pretty.

You walked to the front door, shuffling out into the night. The door might have been left open, you weren’t sure. Whatever, it was a small town. If someone robbed from you it wouldn’t be that hard to find out who after the fact. 

Your feet took you to where you wanted to go, just out of instinct. You kept sniffing and letting the cold air hit your damp cheeks, cooling off your overheated face as you walked in the dark to the place this all started.

That small trail between the meat packaging plant and the Hewitt home. Where you and Thomas first started your affair. You stopped there, under the tree where it all started, looking around. Part of you truly thought that he would just be out here, waiting for you. He always seemed to be where you needed him to be, but that was a silly thought, wasn’t it? He was just a human, same as you. 

So you kept walking down that small road where so few people ever drove. The moon cast a blue light over the world, almost making the night look like daytime. It was amazing how well your eyes could adjust in the dark with nothing but the moon and the stars. Maybe that was something you could study too someday. The human eye. 

You didn’t quite realize what you were doing until you knocked on the front door. 

“Who could be there at this hour?” You heard from somewhere in the house. 

The door opened, thrusting you into the light, making you blink, your eyes too used to the dark.

Luda Mae stood at the door, glaring you down in confusion. “Mrs…” She paused, trying to place your first name to your face but finding she didn’t know it. “Danny.”

You barked out a bitter laugh before you could stop yourself. “I can’t even keep my first name?”

She frowned deeper at your remark. “What do you-?”

“Can I talk to Thomas please?” You interrupted, having left your politeness at home along with what was left of your sense. “Can you please go get him?”

The two men you knew to be Monty and Charlie stepped out of the living room, the both of them looking just as confused by your presence as Luda Mae. Your self-preservation tugged at the back of your mind, trying to tell you that it wasn’t too late to just go home and pretend that you had never come here.

“What does she want?” Charlie scowled deeply, looking you up and down like he was trying to place who you were but being unable to. “What’s she want with the boy?”

Luda Mae could only throw up her hands in irritation, shooting him a glare as Thomas walked out of the kitchen, his eyes widening when he saw you on his front porch, surrounded by his family, your eyes red and face wet with tears.

“Tommy.” You gasped out, your throat clenching as a whole new wave of tears came bubbling to the surface. 

Thomas rushed over, putting his hands on your face before he had the chance to realize the situation. He quickly removed his hands when you jerked away. He frowned deeply, and even after the night you’d had, even though you knew that after this his family would know what was happening between you two, you wouldn’t help but notice his eyes. They were so pretty. 

“Um, so, we got in a fight. Not about, not about this, this is, this is safe.” You tried to explain, a hiccup making your body shake. Another one followed shortly after. “But, uh, I just wanted to see you.” 

Thomas frowned more, taking in how much of a wreck you were. He put his hands on your shoulders, pulling you against his chest. You rested your uninjured cheek on his shoulder, hiccupping again.

“Thomas Brown Hewitt, what fool thing did you go and do?” Luda Mae said slowly, not believing that the prettiest girl in town was clinging to her poor boy like he was the most important man in the world.

Both of you stiffened, and your brain finally cut through the fog that had been clouding it since Danny laid his hand on you. You looked over Thomas’ shoulder to his family, who all had looks of various levels of concern.

“Something stupid.” You answered in a small voice.


	22. Goodbye

Thomas’ room was small and dirty, with all sorts of animal hides and bones scattered around, half finished art projects on the floor. It wasn’t just dirty with clutter but with actual dirt as well, as if all the dust outside had found its way inside his room. He looked embarrassed as she tried to kick a bunch of random nothings under his bed. 

You sat on his bed, trying to make yourself small in this busy room. You looked down at your hands, picking at something under your nail as you tried to find the words to explain what it was you were feeling now.

“I’m sorry.” You finally choked out. “I didn’t think before coming here. I’m so sorry.”

Thomas awkwardly shrugged his shoulders, sitting down on the bed beside you. His family was probably all either listening at the door or talking about the two of you. He knew he was in for an earful the moment their shock wore off. But he would deal with that later. For now, you were sitting in front of him, shell shocked.

He glanced at your cheek. It was a little red, but already not as bad as it had been when you’d first showed up. Thomas had been hit enough to know about how hard Danny must have slapped you based on the redness alone. 

Your eyes finally found his, and he rested his hand on your shoulder. There were too many things he was focusing on right now, but not the most important thing that was in front of him. 

“I think I’m going to leave town. I don’t know. I was already thinking it before tonight.” You finally said. “I don’t know what I’m capable of, all on my own. Without my parents or a husband taking care of me. But, I guess the only way to know is to try.”

Thomas stilled at your words, his eyes dropping to the ground. So you were thinking about leaving. A part of him still hoped that he would mean enough to you for you to ask him to go with you. But, that was just a childish hope. This was a goodbye. Not an invitation.

You went silent once again, sitting with Thomas on his very own bed. It was funny, being in his house. His room, aside from being dirty, actually told you a lot about him. He was surprisingly creative, especially with animal skins. Between the two of you, you could probably make a full outfit consisting of a leather jacket and a pretty dress. The thought almost made you laugh.

Sure, the room was messy, but he probably didn’t have much free time to clean. You’d heard he took every spare moment of overtime he could, even if the manager always tried to pass that off as Thomas being too stupid to go home on time. There was so much more to him than these horrible people could ever see. 

“If I get divorced…” You started, tasting the bittersweet words on your tongue. Divorced seemed like such an ugly word. Divorce had been almost completely unheard of when you were growing up, though it was slightly more common now. Divorced. Legally leaving Danny instead of just running away like you’d imagined in your head. It tasted bitter, all the bad words spoken of divorcees you’d heard growing up compiling on your tongue and tasting like bile. 

You forced your way past your initial reaction at being seen as a divorcee, instead trying to picture the goals you’d finally started to compile. You’d handle any bad talk about you. This was for your own good. “If I get divorced, I’ll get alimony checks. It probably won’t be much, but if I get a job in a city somewhere – I’ll learn shorthand or something – then I could maybe support myself. Maybe go back to school if I make enough.”

Thomas nodded slowly, allowing you to use him as a listening ear. After all, after using him for sex and companionship, why not be used for more? In a twisted way, this was probably the most useful Thomas had ever been in his life.

His heart twisted in pain that was trying to disguise itself as anger. He thought he was more to you than sex, but really, what did he expect? You were beautiful, you were smart, you would get out of this town and be something. And he would continue being the dumb animal of the town. 

His hand took yours, squeezing it as you fell silent again, your brain racing as you tried to think of every possible future outcome. Thomas’ mind, contrarily, was focused on the past. You’d cooked for him, talked with him, slept in the same bed. Wasn’t that more than just being used for sex? Wasn’t it more to you? Was it selfish of him to be thinking this when you were obviously so distressed? 

Thomas never wanted much in life, he never expected anything good to come to him. Maybe that’s why he was trying to cling to this good thing that had stumbled into him while on a walk a few weeks ago. 

You rose, Thomas’ hand slipping from yours as your tired brain continued to overwork itself. And in that overthinking came a decision. 

“I’m going to go to Danny.” You said suddenly, heading out of his room. 

Thomas jerked up in surprise, tailing after you as you walked through the house to the front door, vocalizing his confusion in grunts and hand gestures in an attempt to get you to stop and look at him. 

Going to Danny? Back to Danny? What happened to the last few weeks of you wistfully dreaming of a future and planning for it? Did that mean that you’d stay here in town, but Thomas would go back to being a stranger.

He grabbed your arm as you stepped outside, spinning you around so you were facing him. He frowned, glaring you down. He could live with you leaving. But you staying and belonging to that asshole? That would be more of an insult than you leaving Thomas in the dust as you chased something better. 

You shook your head slightly, glancing down at Thomas’ hands that were holding you in place as if you had no idea how those had gotten there. You looked back to his face, seeing his furious expression, but you weren’t scared of him even with that look of rage. 

“I just need to do something.” You said, a strained smile finding its way to your face. “I’ll do something and then, I’ll be ready.”

Thomas’ frown turned from anger to confusion as you broke from his grasp and walked down the porch steps into the night, Thomas frozen in place as he heard his family walk up behind him.

There was the click of a lighter, and a billow of smoke blew past Thomas’ head as Charlie stepped up beside him.

Charlie gave Thomas the side eye, the both of them facing the yard you’d already disappeared from. “Not bad, kid. Pretty, that one.”

“I can’t believe ya would fool around with a married woman!” Luda Mae scolded, walking outside and giving Thomas a light slap on the arm. “Where is your sense?”

“I think it left whenever she batted her lashes at ‘im.” Charlie chuckled, scratching his neck. “Thomas, I ain’t one for listening to gossip, but that was hard not to overhear.”

Thomas shot him a look, feeling like all of the energy had drained from his body the moment you stepped off the porch.

“Thing is, women – they can make plans and such, sure.” Charlie took another long inhale of his cigarette before continuing. “But it ain’t their place to propose stuff.”

“Charlie, don’t give him any ideas!” Luda Mae snapped.

Thomas looked between them, not following what it was they were saying.

“Awe, let him talk to the poor boy.” Monty leaned on the doorframe. “Who cares if she’s married now when she’s gonna be divorced later?”

“Point is, she could be married again.” Charlie shrugged. “If someone asked.”

Thomas finally realized what it was they were implying, and he shook his head. He couldn’t ask for more than you’d already offered him. If you wanted him alongside you, you’d have said so. 

Monty laughed. “Big thing like you shouldn’t be so shy!” He slapped Thomas on the back, as if trying to push him off the porch. “You never know unless your try, right?”

“I don’t approve, and we don’t know the whole story!” Luda Mae crossed her arms. “Last thing she said she was going back to her husband, right where she should be! Tommy shouldn’t associate with her anymore!”

Thomas’ head was starting to hurt. He turned and headed back in, brushing past his family. Whatever happened next was on you.

“Don’t do something you’ll regret.” Charlie called, making Thomas pause. 

What would he end up regretting more, if he went after you, or if he just let you be?


	23. Bar

You walked to town, to where you knew Danny went whenever he was upset. It was the one bar in town, but tonight was a Friday, so it was going to be fuller of people than usual. The bar had recently gotten a new jukebox, and so more and more people were using the bar as a place to dance. As you approached the old building that was covered top to bottom with cowboy gear, you took note of just how many cars were parked outside. Hell, the whole town was here. Why had Danny never bothered to invite you out here? All those nights you’d been sitting at home bored, and the whole town had a party without you.

Walking up to the door, you pushed your way in, only realizing once you were inside how much of a mess you probably looked. Any and all makeup you might have been wearing was probably cried off, your clothes were probably covered in sweat from wandering around all evening, and your hair probably wasn’t much better. This was probably the most disheveled anyone who wasn’t your husband had seen you. Oh well. 

Scanning the dim bar, you saw half the town at tables, half of them dancing, and even more crowding the bar. Through the people you saw Danny laughing and drinking by the bar next to his best friend Herb, and his wife, Carol, the woman you had insulted earlier that day. Herb leaned over the bar to shout his order to the bartender over the noise of the crowd as Carol pulled out a cigarette. She placed the cigarette between her lips, extending her finger towards Danny in a ‘come hither’ motion behind her husband’s back. 

Danny pulled out a lighter, flicking it on and lighting the cigarette while it was between Carol’s lips. Even from across the room, you could read the look in her eyes and she breathed in around the cigarette. 

‘They’re having an affair.’

That was your first thought.

‘Poor Herb.’

Was your second thought. 

‘How could Danny do that to his best friend?’

Was your third. 

‘Oh, the baby is probably his.’

Amazingly, it didn’t hurt at all. It almost felt like a relief. All of this wasn’t just your fault. You weren’t the only one having an affair. You weren’t the only one who knew that this marriage was broken beyond repair. Part of you knew you should have been mad, that his affair had probably started around the time he stopped having sex with you – long before you and Thomas had become an item. But, it just didn’t feel like it mattered. 

You moved around the room to the jukebox, keeping out of sight of your husband, his friend, and his lover. When you came here, you just planned on finding Danny and telling him that you two were over. Now you had a slightly different plan forming in your mind. A plan with just a dash of spite – you were a woman scorned, after all.

When you got to the jukebox, you scanned through the music. Most of it was country music, to fit the taste of the townsfolk. But, at the very back of the music selection, you found some more modern music that ‘those damn hippies’ listened to. The music probably came with the jukebox, and you doubted it was ever played. Well, first time for everything.

You put in a quarter and selected a song whose title you recognized, watching as the disks started moving around.

Slow, interesting music started playing from the jukebox, making everyone turn to look at you. A woman with a nasally voice started singing as you kicked off your shoes, and you walked to the center of the dance floor, where everyone parted for you like the red sea. 

Over the music, you heard Danny angerly exclaim your name, but you ignored him as you took off your jacket as well, throwing it in some random direction, hearing a soft ‘unf’ as it hit someone in the face, making you smile to yourself. 

Lifting your hands in the air, you started to dance in a strange, twisty way to the music, not caring how silly you looked, and not caring about what everyone was whispering about you. Since you moved here you had been a piece of art, a display, a trophy. Something to look at and covet. Well, you were going to leave this place, leave Danny alone with the mess he and Carol made. And if you were going to do that, you may as well embarrass him one last time.

Running your fingers through your hair, you flipped it out as you spun to the music, opening your eyes to see Danny seething by the bar, and Carol looking confused as if she was trying to figure out what you were doing. You flashed them a wink, twirling again and fluffing out your chest. This was surprisingly fun. You should embarrass yourself more often!

You giggled to yourself, sensing the song was going to end soon. What a shame, you didn’t have another quarter. Oh well. 

“What the hell are you doing?” A rough hand grabbed your wrist, twisting you so abruptly it made your arm hurt. Danny glared you down, his eyes feverishly looking around as if he could glare everyone in the bar into not seeing what they’d already seen. “Are you trying to make a fool out of me?”

“Yes.” You smiled pleasantly, wrapping your arm around his waist. 

Danny paused, obviously not expecting that reaction. “What?”

“I said I’m trying to embarrass you.” You continued smiling, running your hand around his waistband.

His eyes sharpened as the surprise wore off, his grip on your wrist tightening so hard you were afraid that he would break your wrist. “You little bi-!”

A larger hand that was stronger and more menacing appeared along with several scared gasps from the crowd around the two of you. It grabbed Danny’s wrist in exactly the same manner he had grabbed you, twisting it so Danny’s grip on you broke.

Danny shouted in pain, whirling around to face his assailant to come face to face with Thomas’ piercing blue eyes. 

“Thomas?” You yelped in surprise. You wanted to rub your aching wrist but couldn’t, instead putting your hands to your sides.

“What the fuck are you doing, you dumb fucking animal?” Danny spat, trying to pry his arm away from Thomas, only for Thomas to grip him tighter. 

“What are you doing here?” You asked.

Thomas looked at you, his eyes softening. His mouth opened slightly, but the moment that passed between you two was prematurely stopped by the sound of a shotgun being pumped. 

All three of you turned to see the bartender, pointing a gun at Thomas. “Get out of my bar. We don’t like troublemakers like you and yours.”

Danny grit his teeth, hating the fact that he had to be saved by some grunt like Thomas Hewitt. What was the man even doing here? The guy lived to work, why was he-.

His eyes widened as he connected the dots. Thomas Brown Hewitt, the disfigured village idiot, was fucking his wife. That was why you had reacted the way you did when Thomas attacked Danny. Why you stopped pestering Danny for sex. Why you sounded weird when he called you on his get away with Carol! That animal had been in his home! God, it made too much sense but it made his stomach twist at the thought of it. What would people say if they knew you had gone to Thomas for sex!

“Fucking kill this guy, he raped my wife!” Danny shouted at the top of his lungs, revenge the only thing on his mind. 

Thomas dropped Danny’s hand like it was on fire, whirling around to see the men in the bar absorbing Danny’s accusation. It felt like the world was slowing down. This was turning out to be exactly what he had been afraid of.

You grabbed his wrist, making a dash for the door as all hell broke loose. “Thomas!”

Thomas ran after you as the men in the bar started shouting and scrambling for anything they could find that could subdue Thomas. You ran out the front doors, grabbing a decorative rail spike off the wall and slamming the doors behind you. “Tommy, hold them!”

Thomas held them closed, hearing the bar tender telling the patrons to get out of the way so he could blast Thomas through the door. You jammed the spike through the handles to keep the door from opening, grabbing Thomas and running into the parking lot right before the first shot started breaking the door. 

“Thomas, over here!” You pulled him toward your car, holding up your hand with a grin to reveal the keys you had stolen right out of Danny’s pocket while he was attempting to break your wrist. The two of you dove into the car as the door was shot a second time, and some of the men got wise and started spilling out the back door.

“Fuck all of you!” You started the car and peeled out, picking up gravel and hitting some of the men as you got onto the road.


	24. Drive

In the distance, in the back mirror, you could see lights from the cars from the men at the bar. You hoped that they were all too drunk to drive in a straight line. That would slow the more sober ones down, at least. The moment you were out of town, you turned the lights off, using the moon to see the road. 

As you drove, you’d started to laugh. And then the laughter died down into a gasping giggle, which turned into silence. You stared down at the road, having to focus to see the edges of it in the dark. You didn’t want to even look at Thomas, because both of you had the same realization the moment Danny had accused him of assaulting you; Thomas couldn’t go back to that town without getting killed by an angry mob. You might be able to go back without too much consequence, aside from the life of misery you’d already married into. 

Thomas sat beside you, staring ahead at the dark road. Well, that didn’t go well. He’d have to find a phone somewhere to call his family, though word that he had been run out of town would probably spread pretty fast. But he’d have to have you tell them that he got out okay. 

He was scared, but in a strange way it felt like this was how things were always going to end, ever since the first moment he touched you. This was probably the best way all of this could have happened. You could have made the happen the day he went down on you. Instead, he was chased out of town with you. 

Maybe following you to the bar had been a bad idea. Then again, Danny had been hurting you. Thomas would do it again in a heartbeat.

You looked in the rearview mirror to see that the lights from the other cars were gone. You breathed out a sigh of relief at the sight. 

“I think they gave up.” You said, staring at the road, not daring to turn your lights on just yet. “I don’t want to stop in the next town, but I can keep driving through the night and we can get a motel room in the morning – or when I can’t keep my eyes open anymore. Somewhere far away.”

Thomas nodded slowly, resting his arm on the car door. Far away sounded good. Safe. 

“I’m so sorry.”

It was so soft he barely heard it over the sound of the engine. Thomas turned to you, frowning slightly. He shook his head, but you were still staring stubbornly at the road. 

Your eyes grew wet with hot tears as the gravity of the situation finally began to dawn on you as the adrenaline wore off. You were just an outsider, but that had been Thomas’ home his whole life. And because of you, he could never go back.

Thomas shook his head again, putting his hand on your shoulder. It may have been the place he was raised, but it sure as hell wasn’t a home to him. You had quickly become his home, in the few months you had been together. His family didn’t have to stay there. Once the two of you got settled, they could go wherever the two of you were. 

Thomas was never good at being optimistic, but it wasn’t like anywhere could be much worse than where he already came from. And anywhere else, you’d be there. 

“Oh yeah.” Your voice broke as you spoke, of of the tears spilling over onto your cheek before you could stop it. “What were you doing at the bar?”

A faint smile grazed his face as he reached out, wiping the wetness off your face. He reached into his pocket, pulling something out of it. The action finally got you to glance away from the road.

Between his thumb and forefinger, Thomas held up a ring. You stopped the car, making both of you lurch forward as you suddenly hit the breaks. Thomas’ hand flew up to the dash to keep him from smashing his face against it, and you gripped the steering wheel for dear life as you looked at the ring.

“What’s that?” You squeaked again, more tears falling before you could stop yourself.

It was a plain ring, nothing more than a band, and it looked too big. It was gold, and something told it that it belonged to a man. And, as it turned out you were right. Thomas had gotten the ring from his uncle Charlie before he had followed you to the bar. Thomas knew it wasn’t the kind of ring a ladt like you deserved, but for now it was all that he had.

Thomas reached out with his other hand, running his fingers through your hair as he held the ring up higher.

“For me?” You gently took it, turning the ring in your fingers. It definitely wouldn’t fit your ring finger, but you pulled off the wedding ring Danny had given you, tossing it into the back seat to pawn off later. You slipped it onto your thumb, the ring just barely fitting.

“I love it, Thomas!” You threw your arms around him, sobbing into his chest. “I love you!”

He held you tightly, running his hands up and down your back as you cried, keeping a watchful eye on the horizon, just in case.

I love you too.


	25. The End

~ONE YEAR LATER~

You shuffled through the hall, past the other students who were several years your juniors. Class had just let out, and you smiled as you listened to the other students make plans or complain about their next classes. You pushed your way through them, too big now to care if you bumped people out of the way with your belly. The smart students had learned to get out of your way a few weeks ago.

“Bye, Mrs. Hewitt.” One of them called as you headed toward the exit. 

You turned and smiled at her, holding up your hand in a wave. “See you Thursday!” You called before stepping out onto campus, blinking under the harsh light of the sun. 

With your current income, you couldn’t afford a flashy school, so you decided to go to a local community college. The campus wasn’t anything that flashy, just five buildings over a pretty patch of land. Since you couldn’t afford to take every class in the whole world like you wanted, you decided to finish your first degree that you’d left unfinished for so long. After that, well, you would probably have to wait a little while before you had the time or the money to take more classes. But there was always the library!

Walking to your car, you got in and started driving to the construction site that was smack dab in the middle of the city. Apparently, some new company wanted to make their home there, and while the building was in construction the traffic all around it was terrible. But you didn’t mind, you had the radio playing and the wind in your hair. That, and your destination was at the center of all the chaos.

You parked your car by the side of the road once you got close to the site, earning a look from the person behind you. You smiled at them pleasantly, happy your five minute attempt at parallel parking had annoyed them. They’d been tailgating you most of the way anyway. 

The sounds from the construction hurt your ears as you approached, dust flying through the air and sticking to your skin. One of the site managers spotted you then looked back at his watch, nodding to himself and yelling at someone nearby. The man he yelled at in turn nodded and hurried off. It was always so loud you wondered how they could possibly hear each other.

You smiled and waved at him in response, making sure not to get to close to the construction. You’d gotten in trouble for that a few times before, and you’d gotten a stern talking to for your ‘reckless behavior.’

Through the dust you saw the hulking figure that could only be your husband walking towards you. You smiled and waved excitedly, amazed at how you were always so happy to see him even though you saw him every day. Even if you two are as far away as separate rooms, you could still feel yourself bouncing with joy when you saw him again.

His face broken out into a grin as well when he spotted you, hurrying the rest of the way to meet you on the sidewalk. Seven months earlier, he would have rammed into you with his whole body and spun you around, but now that you were seven months pregnant, Thomas had become incredibly precious with you. 

He greeted you with a kiss to the forehead and a hand on your tummy before pulling you into a loose hug. His body was covered in sweat and god knew what else, but you still pressed your entire body against him as you hugged.

“Here’s your lunch. Soup and an orange.” You held up the thermos and the loose orange that had been sitting in the car during class. 

‘Thank you hun.’ Thomas signed, smiling through his mask before taking them from you. The both of you had learned so much sign in the last year, and as it turned out, construction was the perfect job for your Tommy. Not only was he strong, but many of the construction workers already knew sign to communicate over the loud power tools that were always going.

He kissed your forehead again, his eyes drifting down to your stomach. Giggling, you lightly bumped him with it, watching as he quickly backed away.

He grunted in distress, looking from your stomach back up to you.

You laughed more, putting your hands over your tummy. “Tommy, pregnant women will be okay if their stomachs bump against things just a little bit – otherwise I’m sure doctors would have us bedridden the whole pregnancy.”

Thomas frowned, not responding anymore since his hands were full. You giggled and reached up, wrapping your arms around his neck and kissing his cheek. “I won’t keep you. I’m going to go home and I promise I’ll rest.” You said, knowing that if his hands weren’t full then that would have been the next thing he said. 

He nodded in response, rumbling slightly as you pulled away. He turned away from you, having to get back to work since he technically wasn’t on his break yet. You watched him get back to work, one of his coworkers slapping him on the back and saying something while grinning. Thomas was obviously stiff from suddenly being touched, but you could see he was smiling back at the man.

Your heart swelled with pride at the sight. Moving hadn’t fixed everything, and not everyone Thomas worked with loved him like you did, but he had managed to make some friends. The other workers at least respected him for his strength, and – not to pat yourself on the back – you being around every once in a while probably helped Thomas make friends. 

“Time to go home, baby boo.” You cooed to your stomach before heading to your car and driving home.

Your new home was modest, to say the least. Not a lot of land to your names. But it had a front yard and a back yard, it had a nice big window in the living room, and the shutters were a sky blue you had painted yourself. Luda Mae said sky blue wasn’t a good house color when she came to visit one time, but you had no intention of changing it any time soon, even if no one else liked it. 

Once you were home you made yourself some tea and washed yourself some fruit before plopping down at the kitchen table to start your homework. 

You didn’t realize you’d fallen asleep until you felt a pair of strong arms wrap around you and carefully lift you up. 

“Tommy.” You hummed, not bothering to open your eyes as you were pulled to his chest.

Thomas smiled down at you. He would scold you when you woke up for falling asleep over your books again, but for now, his beautiful wife needed rest. He walked you to the bedroom, laying you down in your spot on the bed, watching you curl up around your body pillow. He knew odds are you’d fully wake up in a few minutes. Your sleeping habits had gotten sporadic since your stomach started to grow with the baby. You could fall asleep sitting up at the kitchen table, but lord forbid you get a full night sleep in bed.

He began stripping out of his dirty work clothes, ready for a nice cold shower after a day of physical exertion. 

“Tommy, Tommy!” You mumbled half asleep, your hand reaching out and accidentally grabbing his penis.

Your eyes flew open as you burst out laughing, pulling your hand away. Thomas chuckled with you, kneeling down by your side. Your laugh was so loud, bursting with sound and joy, and he’d heard so much of it recently. He didn’t mind that his dick had to get randomly grabbed for that to happen sometimes. 

“Sorry!” You laughed, grabbing his hand like you’d first intended. “That felt so weird! I wasn’t expecting that!”

He chuckled more, using his free hand to take off his mask. He pulled his hand out of yours, signing. ‘You’re impossible.’

“Only usually.” You grinned, grabbing his hand again. “Feel!”

You put his hand on your tummy where the baby was kicking, Thomas’ grin melting into a soft smile. He’d felt the baby kick so many times before, but he hoped he’d never get used to it. And when the kicks turned into actually being able to hold his child in his arms, he hoped he would never take that for granted either.

“Take your shower.” You rested your head back on the pillow. “And maybe when you’re all clean we can fool around?”

Thomas barked out a laugh, signing once again. ‘You’re impossible.’ Before heading to the shower. 

Of course, that was a joke. He had every intention of climbing into that bed with you once he was clean, with no intention of resting. 

It was so simple. So domestic. And so much happier than either of you ever could have imagined.


End file.
